4.3.9 Domestic waterfowl density

Of domestic waterfowl, ducks account for the largest proportion, and are the most popular poultry type raised in the lowlands. Chinese ducks and geese account only for a small percentage, and are raised around cities, towns and townships mainly to meet demand from restaurants, hotels and tourist resorts. According to the results of the 2001 census, there were 60.8 million domestic waterfowl (ducks, Chinese ducks and geese) in total, with an average density of 180 birds per km². The map shows how these are distributed across the country. Domestic waterfowl are mainly raised in households in the lowlands and in a handful of commercial duck farms; they are far less popular in the northern mountainous regions and in the Central Highlands due to the scarcity of fresh water ponds, lakes, and flooded rice fields. Densities of domestic waterfowl are highest in the Red River Delta and in the Mekong River Delta. Unlike chickens, large-scale rearing of waterfowl mainly occurs in the Mekong River Delta; the seasons peaking after the winter-spring and summer-autumn rice harvests and before the flooding season. Since the 2001 census took place on 1 October, the figures are likely to underestimate considerably the annual average, since this is not a time when domestic waterfowl are free-ranging. At the time of the census, densities in the high-density provinces of the Mekong River Delta - such as Long An, Tien Giang, Can Tho, Soc Trang, and Vinh Long - ranged from 1,000 to 2,000 birds per km². Whilst the map may display an underestimate of the annual average, it clearly indicates the concentration of production in the big river deltas and close to population centres along the coast.