The annual flood season is a natural cycle in the Mekong Delta, typically lasting from August to November. As water from the Mekong River and upstream areas flows into the region, vast areas of farmland become submerged. While the flooding can disrupt daily life and agriculture, it also replenishes nutrients in the soil and creates favorable conditions for fish, shrimp and other aquatic species to thrive, providing local communities with an important seasonal source of food and income.
The annual floods also help clean the fields, eliminate weeds and pests, and deposit nutrient-rich alluvial soil.
In this photo taken in Dong Thap Province, residents take their fishing gear into the fields to catch local specialties such as cyprinid fish, shrimp, crabs and eels, as the floodwaters arrive.