Viet Nam is an agricultural country with a large export market globally. The agricultural transition process has contributed to poverty reduction in rural areas, reflected in increased income from both agricultural and non-agricultural activities (Nhuan et al., 2023). However, climate change and related natural disasters recently have significantly impacted the agricultural sector (Clement et al., 2021). Under the impact of climate change, there has been a significant shift in the workforce from agriculture to non-agricultural sectors, specifically from approximately 65% in 2000 to 47.4% in 2012, 39.4% in 2019, and 29.06% in 2021 (International Labour Organisation, 2021; GSO, 2023). According to Viet Nam’s forecasts, the effect of climate change will cause a total GDP reduction of 0.7%–2.4% by 2050. This results from both direct and indirect effects on crop productivity, such as adjustments to irrigation and water availability in agriculture (Liu et al., 2022).
As Vietnam continues its impressive growth, agriculture has continued to play a key role. Even though there were global challenges in 2023, Vietnam was the only country that increased its exports to China (a key trade destination) in 2023. The increase in export volumes to China was driven by an increase in fruits, vegetables, and rice exports. In 2023 Vietnam's fruit and vegetables exports by 138.7% compared to 2022 earning the country an impressive 3.6 billion USD (Miller, 2024). This agricultural products export data could also be linked to previous data from 2020 and the first five months of 2021. According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Vietnam Institute of Strategy and Policy for Industry and Trade data, the country's agricultural sector continued to play a crucial role in Vietnam's economic development. Even in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic Vietnam managed to set a new national agricultural products export value of 41.2 billion USD in 2020 and an impressive 22.83 billion USD in the first five months of 2021 (Van, nd). The MD is one of Viet Nam’s main agricultural production areas. This region also particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and sea level rise because its low-lying position, making the region prone to flooding and directly threatening the livelihoods of local people. Many people are likely to be forced to migrate due to this critical situation (Ngo & Tran, 2023). This contributes to the feminization trend in agriculture in Viet Nam in general and the MD in particular, as men and young people often migrate to urban areas to find employment, leaving women - especially older women, to manage farms and take care of their families (Linh, 2021). The consequences of migration not only make the labor burden on women at home but also create significant challenges for them. Ho (nd.) in 'Leaving the Rice Field' a study conducted between May and July 2023 in Mekong Delta's An Giang, Kien, Giang and Cau Mau reported that climate change had triggered unpredictable weather patterns including prolonged droughts and rainfall and; rising sea level leading to increased salinity. As a result, the region known as the 'rice bowl' of vietnam (Ho, nd.) has found itself with freshwater shortages for rice growing primarily because of rising salinity levels caused by the seawater intrusion and intensive shrimp farming.

The phenomenon of a shrinking and sinking Mekong Delta resulting from the rising sea level among other challenges has led to a high outmigration rate. Many young, working-age adults who are unable to secure jobs in rural areas are leaving the Mekong Delta region to work in industrial zones in big cities. For example, citing GSO (2022), Ho (nd.) states that according to Vinh Thuan People's Committee 2022 statistics, 2,049 young people (14%) of the population left to look for work in industrial zones in the cities. This is way much higher than the 1.7% total outmigration of the whole province. The effect of this outmigration is that there is a growing shortage of labour in the agriculture sector with majority of the population left behind comprising children and the elderly (Ho, nd.).

World Bank Group (2021) noted that Mekong Delta's ecosysytem is facing worryng degradation stemming from both climate change and human activities. Statististics from Vietnams Agriculture Ministry indicated that Mekong Delta was losing 500 hectares of land annually  as a resultt of erosion. Studies have also shown up to four grams of salt water per litre in some upriver spots resulting from rising sea levels and the ensuing salinity intrusion. This scenario has been recorded as being four times higher than the tolerance level of most crops. According to Hai et al. (2024), the rising sea level is an imminent and real threat to agricultural activities in the Mekong Delta. Their study projects what they term an 'extreme' scenario of the seal level rising by 8cm by 2030, 21cm by 2050, and a possible 70cm by 2100. However, they also have a different possible scenario they call the 'moderate scenario' whereby the sea level will increase by 8cm by 2030, 17cm by 2050, and 41cm by 2100. These models predict a situation whereby Vietnam's rice production would be affected negatively because the available land for rice farming would shrink. Further, in their study, Hai et al (2024) have reported that the southeast and lower southern sections of the Mekong River Delta are high risk areas. In a 'moderate' scenario the Mekong Delta would lose 19% and 5% of the land area used for the production of rice and other crops respectively (Hai et al, 2024).

In addition, Dang, Pham and Pham (2024) agriculture is a critical sector in Vietnam with the Mekong-Delta being one of the two key rice producing regions in the country. The climate change triggered sea level rise in the Mekong Delta has led to an increase in soil salinity. Citing Kong et al (2020) Dang, Pham and Pam (2024) aver that there has been notable increase in soil salinity in the Mekong Delta as well as a substantial increase in salt water in rivers and on land. As a result, agricultural activities including rice farming has been severely affected in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam.

Further, Dang, Pham and Pham (2024) salinity intrusion has affected rice production in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam and both men and women farmers are learning methods of adapting to the salinity intrusion induced challenges. It was noted that the farmers who undertook salinity intrusion related training recorded higher yields and income than those who did not. However, the main challenge remained that more male farmers than female farmers attended the salinity adaptation trainings. This glaring gender disparity ten placed women farmers at a disadvantage compared to men male farmers. The main reason that fewer women than men attend the training is because, unlike men, women have family related responsibilities. Therefore, it is crucial that flexible training schedules are developed more so to cater to female farmers who have limited time because of family-related responsibilities (Dang et al., 2024)

            According to the UN Women (2016), women also face barriers to training and agricultural extension, particularly access to science and technology and rural microcredit. Access to information about science and technology is crucial for women to help them apply smart agricultural practices adapted to climate change. However, women continue to lag behind in terms of information availability and the application of smart agriculture practices including crop selection, soil testing, and weather forecasting because of time constraints and cultural and socioeconomic issues (SNV, 2023). This reality highlights the urgent need to develop and implement policies that support women farmers, aiming to reduce their burdens and enhance their ability to adapt to climate change.In Viet Nam in general and the MD in particular, the legal system, along with national policies and strategies, plays an important role in emphasizing gender mainstreaming. Notably, the National Strategy on Gender Equality for the 2021–2030 period and the 2006 Gender Equality Law were introduced with the goal of continuing to narrow the gender gap, creating conditions and opportunities for women and men to participate and benefit equally in various fields of social life, contributing to the sustainable development of the country. Balanced participation between genders in management and technical aspects not only enhances economic efficiency but also contributes to risk reduction and sustainable community development. This study was therefore conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of ensuring that Viet Nam's legal system and policies and strategies are not only implemented on paper but also bring benefits to local people. Effective implementation of gender equality policies in agriculture will not only help Viet Nam move closer to its sustainable development goals but also make a significant contribution to improving the status and quality of life for women in the MD region.