Analysis of the ecosystem services of mangrove to aquaculture in the Mekong River Delta, Vietnam

This dataset focuses on aquaculture, with a particular emphasis on shrimp farming in mangrove areas of Vietnam. It covers six provinces in southern Vietnam and was developed to identify the optimal level of mangrove coverage for shrimp farming systems. In addition, the dataset provides information to analyze the determinants of mangrove conversion to other land uses and offers insights that can support policymakers in promoting more effective management and conservation of mangrove forests. The research project that guided the data collection pursued the following objectives: To examine the impacts of mangrove coverage on shrimp farming productivity and profitability. To assess the effects of mangrove coverage on the risks associated with shrimp farming. To investigate the key determinants of mangrove conversion. The survey was conducted in communes across six coastal provinces in southern Vietnam: Ben Tre, Soc Trang, Tra Vinh, Kien Giang, Ca Mau, and Bac Lieu. From these provinces, eight study sites were selected. Data collection relied on face-to-face interviews, during which each respondent completed a structured questionnaire consisting of three parts: (i) general information about the respondent, (ii) perceptions of mangroves, and (iii) aquaculture activities. In total, 659 mixed mangrove–shrimp farms were surveyed. Indicators of mangrove coverage were measured using two approaches. First, self-reported information was gathered directly from farm managers through the household survey. Second, objective measures were derived from satellite imagery. To calculate farm-level mangrove coverage, the geographic coordinates of each farm were recorded during the survey and subsequently used to delineate farm boundaries in Google Earth.