In 1989, Save the Children Fund (UK) began an experimental project to plant mangroves along a coastal estuary in the Thach Ha district of Ha Tinh province in northern central Vietnam. It was designed and managed by the district forestry and water management officials and implemented through the commune People's Committees. This article looks at the project's goals, with environmental and production oriented views. Its sustainability is judged and the longer-term issues of sustainability, including financial support, ownership rights and enforcement of protection are also addressed.