Women in developing countries are domestic water managers and therefore can be regarded as the primary beneficiaries of water supply project, particularly domestic water supply services (DWSSs). Globally, women are active in water supply policymaking, planning and implementation. However, women are often excluded from water management activities; this can result in the failure of water projects. Research to date shows that women’s exclusion from water management processes stems from top-down approaches and traditional norms and gender differences. The work described in this research involved an examination of the effectiveness of DWSS policies implemented in rural Vietnamese communities, and was designed to produce an understanding of women’s roles and responsibilities in water management, specifically within the Vinh Phuoc community of the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. The research found that women participation in Vinh Phuoc was greatly restricted in the water management and in the public sphere in general. Also, it sought to reveal whether women are involved in water management activities and the roles they play in achieving final outcomes.

In recent decades, there has been a growing concern on climate change and its effects on marginalized populations, particularly in the agricultural sectors and agrarian societies of Vietnam. Prior research indicates that climate change is likely to negatively impact the thousands of Vietnamese livelihoods, particularly those who reside in disaster-prone locations such as floodplains and coastal zones and are poor or disadvantaged. Due to gendered duties, obligations, relationships, and limited entitlements, women are deemed to be particularly vulnerable. However, little study has been conducted on how gender and power dynamics influence the transformative adaptation of farming communities in the disaster-shaped environments of the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD). Using vulnerability adaptive capacity theory, and feminist political ecology theory, this study investigates the gender-transformative capacity of adaptation initiatives in the VMD in order to resolve these gaps. It is based on an embedded case study methodology and a mixed-methods research conducted in two villages in the VMD. I argue that local efforts regarding gendered relations and climate adaptation could provide a platform for political transformation at the national, regional, and global scale. Twenty-two male and female farmers from the two selected villages of VMD were invited to participate in the household survey. Between March and June 2024, field notes and twenty-five semi-structured interviews were carried out with the community representatives of Soc Trang and An Giang, including those from local government, experts, and local NGOs. In conclusion, this study reveals how gender and socio-political power relations enable us to comprehend the gendered roles and nature of transformational adaptation of smallholder farmers’ livelihoods in the complex socio-ecological systems of VMD. It is further highlighted by presenting recommendations for future research, policy, and practice to incorporate transformational livelihood adaptation and gender justices into climate change mitigation and adaptation in the VMD and globally.