A review was made of the methods for determination of the longitudinal dispersion coefficient in natural rivers, especially in river bends, with emphasis placed on the current situation and development trends, i.e. the theoretical formulas, the tracer experiment and the empirical formulas. The applicability of the theoretical formula based on the velocity profile and its further development by researchers at home and abroad were discussed; some new methods for calculation of the longitudinal dispersion coefficient by means of tracer experiment data, and their features were analyzed; some typical empirical formulas were summarized, and some problems which need further research are proposed.
