The increasing saline intrusion in coastal areas of the Vietnamese Mekong Delta has affected the management of surface water resources for agriculture and aquaculture. This study evaluated the effectiveness in dealing with saline intrusion during the dry season from late 2019 to early 2020 in Ben Tre, based on the principle of clear roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) water resources governance framework. The data were collected through interviews with relevant staff from district authorities and analyzed by descriptive statistics, and GIS tools were used to edit and publish maps. The duration of salinity intrusion in the dry season from 2019 to 2020 was longer, and the spatial range of saline intrusion was wider than the 40-year average, resulting in severe freshwater scarcity and significant agricultural and aquaculture losses. The promulgation of guiding documents to cope with saline intrusion in agriculture and aquaculture was promptly implemented to eliminate saline intrusion driven damages. However, horizontal coordination among local stakeholders could still be limited