A webinar entitled “The future of water civilisations- Venice lagoon and Mekong delta” was held on 16 September in collaboration with the Italian Embassy in Vietnam, the National University of Ho Chi Minh City and Thuy Loi University in Hanoi.
The initiative is part of the cycle “1600 years of Venice. History, Architecture, City”, promoted by the IUAV University of Venice in collaboration with the Municipality of Venice, Italian embassies, and universities worldwide. Within the framework of such initiative, a series of webinars dedicated to architecture was organised.
In Vietnam, the 1600th anniversary of the founding of Venice was celebrated with the webinar “The future of water civilisations- Venice lagoon and Mekong delta” (in both English and Vietnamese). The webinar addressed and compared the evolution and prospects of the two historical civilisations dependent on water resources in the context of the ongoing Climate Change scenarios.
The Mekong Delta is one of the largest deltas globally. It is considered the most productive agricultural and aquaculture area in Vietnam. Water is a vital resource to sustain different ecosystems and the livelihoods of some 18 million inhabitants. Currently, water resources are highly vulnerable to upstream flow changes, sea-level rise, wastewater releases and climate change. Severe drought and salinity intrusion remain key water stress challenges in the dry season. In Italy, the Po River Delta, overlooked by the Venice Lagoon, faces similar threats, affecting most deltas worldwide. Adaptation strategies are needed to mitigate water-related risks for a safe, prosperous, and sustainable Delta.
The 1600th anniversary of the legendary founding of Venice is an opportunity to reflect on a city seen as a role model also during the pandemic. Venice is where art and architecture, urban form and landscape combine uniquely. But most importantly, it is a city that has sustainably developed over the centuries, ensuring a human scale, quality of public spaces, resilience to natural phenomena.
