Indigenous knowledge of Vietnamese cultivation in the Mekong Delta
Being passed from generation to generation, indigenous knowledge is unique and confined to a particular culture or society. This knowledge is generated and transmitted through communities, over time, in an effort to cope with their own agro-ecological and socio-economic environments (Fernandez, 1994). Vietnamese residents in the Mekong Delta during the development of cultivation activities have accumulated a lot of folk experiences, creating a large amount of indigenous knowledge in daily life and farming production. This knowledge has supported the Vietnamese people to adapt themselves to survive for several hundred years. However, throughout the time, under the strong impact of scientific knowledge, indigenous knowledge nowadays is no longer applied as much as before. In the context of increasing climate change, understanding and reevaluating the correct value of this knowledge, besides preserving, also contribute to public policy implications in environmental change adaptation strategies in the near future. With an interdisciplinary approach to geography and anthropology, via long fieldwork methods, face-to-face meetings with farmers and group discussions, 10 in-depth interviews were conducted on issues related to this current production model and production experience. Indigenous knowledge has been and is being applied in flooded areas with representatives being An Giang and Hau Giang provinces. The author has systematized the indigenous knowledge of Vietnamese people on cultivating to better adapt to nature.