As Phase 2 of the Groundwater Serious Game Project progressed, activities on the ground in Ben Tre and Soc Trang focused on understanding local water challenges and turning those insights into interactive learning and dialogue with communities.
In March 2025, the project team carried out field visits and household interviews in Kinh Cu Hamlet, Phong Nam Commune (Ben Tre) and Ward 2, Vinh Chau Town (Soc Trang). In Ben Tre, farmers described the severe impact of saltwater intrusion during the dry season. Many households rely on rainwater storage during the wet season, but in drier months irrigation becomes increasingly difficult. Coconut farmers reported significant drops in productivity, while more salinity-sensitive crops such as pomelo are often abandoned due to repeated losses.
In Soc Trang, the challenge takes a different form. Farmers growing red onions depend heavily on groundwater, and declining groundwater levels are making pumping increasingly expensive. Several farmers reported having to irrigate at night or invest in more complex two-stage pumping systems. Rising electricity costs have also made irrigation unaffordable for some, directly affecting crop cycles and household income.
These field findings informed the next major activity: training new moderators to independently facilitate the Groundwater Serious Game.
On 22 April, a Train-the-Trainer session brought together 15 participants from universities, research institutions, local government offices, commune authorities, and cooperatives. The training focused on game facilitation techniques, scenario adaptation, and methods for connecting gameplay with local groundwater challenges. Each participating institution received a game box, and all 15 participants were certified as official moderators, expanding the project’s local facilitation capacity across multiple regions.
The following week, on 23 and 24 April, the newly trained moderators led their first field workshops with farmers in Ben Tre and Soc Trang. The workshops brought together around 30 participants in Ben Tre and 20 in Soc Trang, mainly local farmers and community stakeholders. Sessions began with knowledge-sharing on practical water-saving solutions, including Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR), household water tanks, and improved water-use practices.
This was followed by the interactive Groundwater Serious Game sessions, where participants explored the effects of different water-use decisions within a simulated farming community. In Ben Tre, players quickly experienced the consequences of overusing shared water sources. As the game progressed, participants began discussing trade-offs, adjusting strategies, and working more collaboratively to improve outcomes. In Soc Trang, discussions focused strongly on the need for collective action, particularly where upstream and downstream farms rely on shared water sources. Farmers also reflected on the challenges of investing in long-term solutions when immediate financial pressures remain high.
Beyond technical discussions, the workshops also opened broader conversations about the future of agriculture in the Mekong Delta, including generational shifts in farming practices and the need for climate-resilient crop options.
