Due to its location in the tropical monsoon area of South East Asia and also to its geography and topography, Viet Nam is one of the most hazard-prone areas in the Asia-Pacific Region, susceptible to almost every type of hazard - among which hydro-meteorological hazards are the most common. Of these, typhoons and floods are the most frequent and devastating. It is estimated that the country is hit by 6.5 typhoons and tropical storms per year; between 1990 and 2010, there were 74 flood events. Severe droughts, saline water intrusion, landslides and forest fires also impact the country. As most of the population is living in low-lying river basins and coastal areas, more than 70 percent are estimated to be exposed to risks from multiple natural hazards. Historically, weather related disasters have occurred across the country, causing significant numbers of deaths and injuries and substantial damage to property, the economy and the environment. From 1990-2011, Viet Nam suffered average annual losses in human life of 441 people. According to the Germanwatch climate risk index of most countries of the world, which includes GDP losses and deaths as a result of climatic extremes, such as typhoons, heavy rainfall, and drought, Viet Nam suffers average annual GDP (PPP) losses of USD1.9 billion (or 1.3 percent of GDP). Such recurrent disasters have been an impediment to safety, wellbeing and national development.

In addition, climate change is changing and increasing Viet Nam’s disaster risk profile for the worse and is likely to increase risks to development and safety. Under the project: “Strengthening institutional capacity for disaster risk management in Viet Nam, including climate change related disaster” funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Ministry for Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) this Training Material on disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) has been developed to support Government officials at national and sub-national levels to improve their understanding of these critical issues and to contribute to community resilience, safety and long-term sustainable development.

This Training Material has been prepared by the Center for Training and International Cooperation (CTIC) of the Viet Nam Academy of Water Resources; the Hanoi University of Water Resources; the Department of Hydrometeorology and Climate Change (of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment) with assistance from Mr. Philip Buckle (RMIT, University, Australia), Dr. Roger Few (University of East Anglia, UK) and Mr. Terry Cannon (Institute of Development Studies, UK).