Vegetation is an important component of wetland ecosystem. Changes in hydrological regimes and salinity can directly affect the distribution and succession of wetland vegetation. Globally, the changes in hydrological regimes and salinity (due to climate change and/or human activities) have caused general degradation and salinization of natural wetlands, making a serious threat to the ecological health of freshwater wetlands. This paper firstly summarizes the current progress of studies on hydrological regimes, salinity, and the interactive effect of hydrological regimes and salinity on wetland plant physiological ecology, diversity of species, structure and succession of communities and vegetation dynamics. Secondly, discussions are made on the efficacy of an integrated model for evaluating wetland hydrology, hydrodynamics, and salinity change and vegetation response. The integrated model is found to be a valuable tool to predict the development and evolution wetland ecosystems, provide an indicator about how to manage and control water and salinity to protect the ecosystem and cope with future climate change. Finally, important knowledge gaps are indentified, and future research directions relative to wetland hydrology and plant ecology are recommended.