2.9 metres is the high water mark

on the walls of the riverside cafes of the UNESCO World Heritage city of Hoi An http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoi_An in central Vietnam from the tidal surge of the 30 Sept 2009 typhoon. Possibly the highest ever recorded. A beautiful place and once the most important trading port in Vietnam and known for its historic Chinese trade association halls, these days this town is in trouble. Only 4 km up river from the South China Sea and with minor street flooding at every high tide, it reminds me of Chiswick on the Thames in west London. Except unlike London there's no flood barrier in Hoi An and given the vast flat estuary surrounding it, little likelihood of one being possible if even remotely affordable. With polar cap ice melt and thermal expansion of the oceans, by IPCC www.ipcc.ch/ reckoning on a good day diners will be up to their knees by 2050. When the ever more volatile typhoons of a warmer era start rolling in this historic town could well be resigned to history.