FLOODING IN THE RED RIVER DELTA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T01019A000400120001-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 15
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 26, 2001
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 1, 1966
• Content Type: REPORT

FORM 0050
6-84 f-f-
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OFFICIAL
RECORD
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CONFIDENTIAL
FLOODING IN THE RED RIVER DELTA
January 1966
CONFIDENTIAL
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* ? *
S.
* 4. ? * 4. **. ******** ty.
* 4 ? * * 8 * *
-
I* of NA Ittm*
*ler at ttemt n 1926
4. * ? * ? * *
?4 4 4 4. 4 4. 0 4. ?
? * *
* 8S
tim ustsd tb. tdrog *ma ,4.44484-848
or ft:1*U -Min in 1.91,
* * *
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***
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toe aver
Inthti f1t vit it essential that levees be built to
protect the land f f1Ocdti? by tbe rivers that cross it. constri,,_-
th$ the gree&Vasistadeol volume of floodweters,, however the levees
accentuate the tbrent created when tbe river level is shove the level ot
the surrooadinglana. /he Red River bee flowed as much aa 26 feet ablov
the land &u tile Venal area, a cituation that suggests the magnitudxl ol
%be flooding that f*Icura sten the levees are breached.
The
cenpertnmsted bor the natural are, semmeds lovees of the
distritutz4e0. tThe rs? use the descriptive term 'easdir.
lc," to reel* to the compartments resulting Troia-TIM
originate teLtbr sides of the highest levees and floe
lavetimin the compartment. It i* extremely difficult
nts, rticulerly when the bordering rivers arv
nettbcwe the elevation of the /end is the oen
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Le flood vith
thea aaverel
erverre
very gradual
n'tinve 5 sixowe
the 1926 flood.
21 teat arter
elth041 floodine,
e-tethat betweh
0 .rtine qpd59
2 4.
e-0.1$4.14,A0E47.114.1i.14
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co Jular 194# three
Bausi. Teo verve elosod 4ax the
regnained sou. Coseeevest.4 over
hush of the Pea liver este
ric
141*-141 P*el
DC418 *Mt*, led& lift itc4Ah it-
of llak=4, is esesoartutent.ed to, the
WEt leret by the lames ot the fting
6)* The ere* altleffittair tvrrav
The Uremia alizi lawn) inward fro" the Rod Aves-
the tool Vey levees ort tbe mot. in the murex
tion fru^ 1.2 to eheost 3 feet, but nu& of the area
Lan is less then1 feet stove set level. This
iseseireted by heavy revelpitetionl 9er liit=1 es of
iiisaxesitY siedber inter to the extent the rico
*Mt wee eleleagered.
River owl the Bong tkey ere genereiky teen
ion* Prot the licord eree wriver those
sontir between about I-2 ene ho feet.
levees is frisseroseed eaactry
elevation.
. 3
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otgoar
nrcrithe nortel
4 aver bad
:-.1evat itnia
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CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
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Restricted
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MILITARY GEOGRAPHY
Page II - 55
Ate,
304
215
241
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1931
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March
April
Ay
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July
/logos/
Sep/ember
October
liOvember
December
LEVELS OF RED RIVER AT HANOI IN 1926, 1932, 1934
FIGURE II - 61. Tonkin Plain. Levels of the Red River at Hanoi in 1926,1932, and 1934.
The river rises suddenly at the beginning of June. River discharge consists of a succession of flash floods lasting 10 to 15 days, during
which the river levels rise quickly 6 to 15 feet an'd recede again.
TABLE II 1
RIVER LEVELS AT HANOI
MEANING OF SYMBOLS
YE AR
1907
0 above 26 feet
00 above 29.5 feet
000 above 33 feet
MAY JUNE
JULY
AUG.
0
SEPT.
OCT.
00
NOV.
1908
00
0
00
00
00
00
1909
00
000
000
0
1910
000
00
1911
00
000
000
0
1912
0
000
0
1913
0
000
000
0
0
1914
000
00
00
1915
00
-
000
00
0
1916
0
0
0
0
00
1917
000
000
0
1918
00
00
000
000
00
0
1919
0
000
000
00
1920
0
0
0
000
1921
0
000
000
000
0
1922
0
00
000
00
1923
00
00
000
00
1924
0
000
00
0
1925
00
00
926
0
000
000
1927
0
00
000
00
1928
0
000
000
0
1929
0
00
000
000
0
1930
00
0
00
00
1931
No data
1932
000
000
000
000
1933
No data
1934
000
000
00
To guard against these floods, the Tonkin farmers have
laboriously constructed artificial levees along most major
streams. These have raised the high-water level of the rivers
but have not been able to prevent floods caused by levee breaks.
Beteween 1900 and 1925 levees broke in 13 different years.
The floods of 1913 and 1915 were particularly disastrous
(FIGURES H - 63 and II - 64). Areas which have suffered re-
peatedly from floods of the Red River are those at the head of
r he delta to either side of the river (Son Tay, Hung Hoa) and
fee/
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96
66
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2
LEVELS OF SONG THUONG AT PHU LANG THUONG
1926 AND 1928
FIGURE II - 62. Tonkin Plain.
The succession of flash floods is more pronounced than the slight
general increase in stream discharge.
the compartments of Ha Dong and Nam Dinh Nord between
the Red River, the Song Day, and the Nam Dinh Giang. In
the watershed of the Song Thai Binh, flooding by the Song
Cau is particularly common and affects especially the area of
Bac Ninh between the Song Cau and the Canal des Rapides.
To prevent the recurrence of such floods and levee breaks, an
ambitious program of widening and increasing the height of
the artificial levees of the main streams and distributaries was
started in 1924. It was planned to safeguard the plain against
all floods up to a high-water level of 43.6 feet at Hanoi, that
is, 4.5 feet above the highest river level measured there. This
system of artificial levees was completed in/1937. The levees
of the lower Song Cau also have been raised. Flooding of the
Tonkin Delta through overflow of the main streams should
thus be practically eliminated.
3. FLOODING BY TIDAL STREAMS. The tides of the Gulf
of Tonkin penetrate the different distributaries for a distance of
30 to 50 miles. The range of the tides decreases rapidly inland.
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,LE DELTA
69
a depuis longtemps (la pente moyenhe de Lao Kay ik Viet Tri est seulement
de 27 cm. par km.).
4. Les facteurs du rdgitne. Ce regime s'explique par le relief du has-
sin du Fleuve Rouge; tres montagneux, ii rassemble tres vite les eaux four-
1193
9,27
9,37
8,80
9,18
8,
8,07 41.1
8-78
7
!
8,27
V
740
7,65
niv.
moy.
d'itiage:
27150
[.
.
10 20 30
JUIN
10 20 31
JUILLET
10. 20 31
AOUT
10 20 30
SEPTEMBRE
FIG. 9. ? HANOI, 1926. Crue Fleuve Rouge.
10 20 31
OCTOBRE
nies par les pluies. Cependant la faiblesse de la pente sur les trois cents der-
niers km. du cours avant Viet Tri attenue la rapidite des crues : un cours
encore plus long, en retenant plus longtemps le flot de crue, amenerait Ia
fusion de toutes les crues en uric seule (e'est cc qui se passe pour le Mekong).
Ii faut remarquer que l.a'vonfluence de q deux principaux affluents du Fleuve
Rouge,, Rivi? Noire et Rivi? Claire, juste a l'entroe du Delta, n'est pas
un facteur favorable a l'attenuation des crues, d'autant que les crues de la
Rivi? Noire ont plus japides que colles du Fleuve Rouge : la pente de
in Rivi? Noire est plus forte que cello du Fleuve Rouge jusqu'a une faible
distance du Delta (a. 100 km. du confluent, dans les rapides en amont de
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IA.. rove. or -e ease IS I I : A -'1* ? I I ?AIII'll III -'
IiIITIZITZ I WIl 01 MMIKIIII WM !fi MIDI MB :I C VIA tli Di PAIIIIIIM Kli KIIIIII IN
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fuLly f 1
DISTRIBUTION LIST
TITLE OF REPORT
FloDqing in the Red River Delta
DATE
18 Jan 66
REPORT NO.
CIA/BI 6B 66-20
PROJECT NO.
61. 22
CLASSIFICATION
6D Confidential
CONTROL
NAME OF REQUESTER
25X1A
NAME OF ANALYST
25X1A
BRANCH
GD/F
GY?PgiSphS and
I 2 photos
COPY
NO.
RECIPIENT
DATE SENT
nandcarria
18 Jan 66
1-3
0/DD/I i -4-.1- ?V 1..,,,, ir4 7 7 ?.: C,,
4
(10 D/oBi, to be returned) ,
25X1A
Ch/GD*
5
GD/F**
25X1A
,
*
Figure 8 (Map of Hanoi showing spot heights missing)
7-*
Figure 1 and 8 missing
t?11:15:'60,14;1:1:71111L:rt
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.Arl r... 1.1 4 _ 911.1:14411-14111,004114,,TriFIPITO."111"
12-64 2362
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