Soc Trang, a coastal province of the VMD with a coastline of about 72 km, is considered to be strongly affected by sea level rise and saline intrusion. The objective of the study was to assess impacts of saline intrusion on farmer’s livelihoods and soil and water properties of different farming systems in the coast of the Soc Trang province. Individual interviews with local farmers and management staffs were done to collect data according to the sustainable livelihoods framework of the UK Department for International Development (DFID). In addition, soil and water samples were collected and analyzed according to analytical process of Houba et al (1995).

The household livelihoods of local residents were low and sensitive to impacts of saline intrusion. Local farmers stopped using surface water for irrigating freshwater - based agriculture including sugarcane, cash crops and fruit trees during the dry season and have to use groundwater for daily consumption as saline intrusion happened seriously along the main rivers and canal networks.

More details