Coastal Morphology, a case study in Province of Nam Dinh, Red River Delta, Vietnam

Abstract

Vietnam has about 3260 km of coastline, primarily consisting of low-Iying coastal areas. More than 165 km of this coastline are within the Red River Delta, a densely populated region which experiences substantial dynamic changes and destruction due to frequent intense impacts from the river (floods) and the sea (typhoons, changes in sea level, currents, etc.). The study area for this thesis is the province of Nam Dinh, which constitutes part of this dynamic coastline within the Red River Delta, which alters very often due to erosion and accretion processes. Since the beginning of last century, about 30 km of the coastline of Hai Hau district has been facing erosion with estimated erosion rates of about 10-20m per year causing damages to the local economy housing, and 1055 of land, etc. In recent years a number of studies have been done in order to understand the problem and find the solutions to mitigate these losses. Due to the lack of data, and design tools the results of these studies somehow are still limited, and the problem is still poorly understood. Advanced mathematic models - SWAN, a 2D wave model which is developed by TU Delft and Delft Hydraulics, and UNIBEST a 1D morphology model developed by Delft Hydraulics - are used in this thesis to run and analyse the data in search of better results for understanding the erosion problems at Nam Dinh coast. By doing this study the necessary engineering knowledge and study skill to solve a problem in practice are also achieved.