rainage

Mekong River
Roughly triangular in shape, with its northeast and southwest sides bounded by the
northern uplands, the Red River delta extends inland some 150 miles (240 km) and
runs some 75 miles (120 km) along the Gulf of Tonkin. The delta can be divided into
four subregions. The northwestern section has the highest and most broken terrain,
and its extensive natural levees invite settlement despite frequent flooding. The low-
lying eastern portion is less than seven feet (two metres) above sea level in the
vicinity of Bac Ninh. Rivers there form small valleys only slightly lower than the
general surface level, and they are subject to flooding by the area’s unusually high
tides. The third and fourth subregions consist, respectively, of the poorly drained
lowlands in the west and the coastal area, which is marked by the remains of former
beach ridges left as the delta expanded.

The Annamese Cordillera forms a drainage divide, with rivers to the east flowing to

the South China Sea and those to the west to the Mekong River. South of the
mountain range there is an identifiable terrace region that gives way to the Mekong
delta. The terrace region includes the alluvial plains along the Saigon and Dong
Nai rivers. The lowlands of southern Vietnam are dominated by alluvial plains, the
most extensive of which is the Mekong delta, covering an area of 15,400 square miles
(39,900 square km) in Vietnam. Smaller deltaic plains also occur along the south-
central coast facing the South China Sea.
Soils
In northern Vietnam the heavy monsoonal rains wash away rich humus from the
highlands, leaving slow-dissolving alumina and iron oxides that give the soil its
characteristic reddish colour. The soils of the Red River delta vary: some are fertile
and suitable for intense cultivation, while others lack soluble bases. Nonetheless, the
delta soils are easily worked. The diking of the Red River to prevent flooding has
deprived the delta’s rice fields of enriching silts they once received, and it has been
necessary to apply chemical fertilizers.