1. Director: Assoc.Prof. Dr. Mai Sỹ Tuấn 2. Add.: Room 407, Building V, Hanoi National University of Education No.136 Xuan Thuy, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam. Tel: (024)39953875 E-mail: tuanms@hnue.edu.vn Website: http://www.mangrovesvn.org.vn 3. Founding year: 1987

4. Directors in historical periods

• From 1987 to 2007: Prof. D.Sc. Phan Nguyen Hong
• From 2007 to present: Assoc.Prof. Dr.  Mai Sy Tuan

5. Professional staffs

No.	Name	Degree	Specialized		No.	Name	Degree	Specialized
1	Phan Nguyen Hong	Prof. D.Sc.	Ecology		8	Pham Hong Tinh	Dr.	Ecology
2	Mai Sy Tuan	Assoc.Prof. Dr.	Ecology		9	Vu Thuc Hien	M.Sc.	Environmental Science
3	Nguyen Hoang Tri	Prof. Dr.	Ecology		10	Nguyen Xuan Tung	M.Sc.	Ecology
4	Tran Van Ba	Assoc.Prof. Dr.	Ecology		11	Phan Hong Anh	B.Sc.	Environmental Science
5	Le Xuan Tuan	Dr.	Ecology		12	Phan Minh Nguyet	B.Sc.	Finance
6	Nguyen Duc Tuan	M.Sc.	Botany		13	Chan Minh Phuong	B.Sc.	Environmental Education
7	Dao Van Tan	Dr.	Biochemistry		14	Quan Thi Quynh Dao	B.Sc.	English language

6. Functions and tasks

• To implement long-term national projects concerning mangrove ecosystems as well as coastal management and to cooperate with foreign institutions in a number of scientific projects;
• To provide technical consultants and advisors for several NGOs in Vietnam for preparation and evaluation of projects on mangrove planting and aquaculture in coastal areas;
• To provide educational materials for students, teachers, local administrators, farmers and fishermen on the sustainable use of natural resources and environment in coastal areas with the sponsor of NGOs;
• To organize training courses for a large number of coastal dwellers on the role of mangroves and techniques for planting and tending;
• To participate in several international and regional organizations for studying different fields of coastal ecosystems;
• To organize national and international workshops and seminars in cooperation with other international and local institutions.

7. Areas of research focus

• Research and application of scienctìic and technological advances in mangrove ecosystems and sustainable use of mangrove resources
• Provide consultations and services
  • Environmental impact assessment, training and international cooperation on mangrove ecosystems
  • Development of planning, policies and strategies on natural resources and environmental protection in coastal areas
  • Trial production of coastal protection plant from scientific and technological research results.
• Implement the assessment, analysis and processing database of biodiversity and environmental quality in coastal wetlands.

8. Notable achievements

- About training:

• MERC collaborates with the Faculty of Biology, Hanoi National University of Education to train Masters and PhD students in biology (specializing in Ecology) related to mangrove ecosystems. Up to now, a total of 48 masters and 9 doctors in mangrove ecology have graduated under the suppervision of MERC’s members.
• In addition, the MERC has nominated 20 staffs to participate in the master, doctoral students, and post-doctoral programs in Japan, Australia, and man, students and researchers to participate in the short-term training courses in India, Canada, Sweden, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia....

- About scientific research:

Since its establishment, MERC has implemented 04 state projects, 06 ministerial projects and 16 international cooperation projects. In the coming years, the MERC is actively participating in several projects to restore mangroves along the coast of Vietnam. Following are some typical projects:

• Period 2020 - 2024: Planting, restoring and protecting coastal mangroves to cope with climate change in Nghi Xuan, Cam Xuyen and Ky Anh districts, Ha Tinh province.
• Period 2018 - 2024: Planting mangroves in Thach Mon and Thach Ha communes, Ha Tinh city, Ha Tinh province.

In addition, MERC members are also active consultants on management, conservation and restoration of mangrove ecosystems for domestic and international agencies and organizations such as IUCN, CIFOR , USFS…

- About hosting national and internation workshops/conferences:

To date, MERC has collaborated with national and international organizations, research institutes and universities (such as FAO, ISME/ITTO, UNESCO, IUCN, JRC/IGES, DRC, ACTMANG, GENDASTOSHO, CIFOR, USFS, Kyoto University, United Union University…) to organise a total of 15 national and international workshops/conferences on conservation and development of mangrove ecosystems; management, conservation and sustainable use of coastal wetland ecosystems; climate change adaptation and mitigation…

- About scientific publications:

MERC has published 15 books/proceedings and jointly published other 8 books abroad with international agencies/organizations (such as FAO, ISME/ITTO, UNESCO, JRC/IGES, Kyoto University, GENDASTOSHO, United Union University…).

Some typical books are:

1. Rừng ngập mặn Việt Nam - Kỹ thuật trồng chăm sóc và bảo vệ, 1997. Phan Nguyên Hồng (chủ biên). Nhà xuất bản Nông nghiệp, Hà Nội. 88 trang.
2. Rừng ngập mặn Việt Nam, 1999. Phan Nguyên Hồng (chủ biên). Nhà xuất bản Nông nghiệp, Hà Nội. 205 trang.
3. Sinh Thái học rừng ngập mặn, 1999. Nguyễn Hoàng Trí. Nhà xuất bản Nông nghiệp, Hà Nội. 272 trang.
4. Thực vật Rừng ngập mặn Việt Nam, 1996. Nguyễn Hoàng Trí. Nhà xuất bản Giáo dục, Hà Nội. 79 trang.
5. Mangroves of Vietnam, 1993. Phan Nguyen Hong, Hoang Thi San. IUCN, Bangkok. 186 pages.
6. Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve Ho Chi Minh City, 2000. Nguyen Hoang Tri, Phan Nguyen Hong, Le Trong Cuc (eds.). Agricultural Publishing House, Hanoi. 43 pages.
7. Mangrove ecosystem in the Red River Coastal Zone: Biodiversity, Eology, Scio-economics, Management and Education, 2004. Phan Nguyen Hong (ed.) Sponsored by Nagao Natural Environment Foudation (NEF), Japan. Agricultural Publishing House, Hanoi. 508pages.
8. The role of mangrove and coral reef ecosystems in natural disaster and coastal life improvement, 2004. Phan Nguyen Hong (ed.). Sponsored by IUCN. Agricultural Publishing House, Hanoi. 385 pages.
9. In addition, MERC’s members have also published hundreds of articles in national and international journals and conferences, including 10 articles published in ISI/Scopus journals.

9. Cooperation organizations:

• ACTMANG (Action for Mangrove Reforestation)
• ISME (International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems)
• US Forest Service (United State Forest Service)
• IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)
• DRC (Danish Red Cross)
• JRC (Japanese Red Cross)
• Some universities: Ehime University, Chiba University (Japan), Aix-Marseille Université (France), Univetsity of Nairobi (Kenya), Annamalai University (India), Yale University (USA).

Some pictures of MERC's activities:

Photo 2. The Center cooperates with international organizations to organize scientific seminars on mangroves

Photo 3. Scientific exchange on sustainable use of mangrove ecosystems with scientists from Chinese Mangrove Ecosystem Research Center

Photo 4. Members of The Research Center 's some activities in mangrove research

Photo 5. Members of The Research Center surveyed the coastal ecosystem of Ben Tre province, 1979