Locations Affected

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Global Climate Risk Index

With a coastline of 3,440 kilometers, Vietnam is prone to a wide range of disasters including floods, typhoons, landslides and drought. Approximately 71 percent of the population and 59 percent of the land area are vulnerable to disasters, with floods and storms as the most destructive occurrences with the highest number of fatalities and economic damage.
According to the World Bank, Vietnam loses 1-1.5 percent of GDP annually due to natural disasters, which hinders the social and economic development of the country. Since Vietnam is situated in a high risk location, there is a constant need to adapt to climate change in order to mitigate the effects on its development progress.
Vietnam lies within the Southeast Asian typhoon belt that brings frequent rain and heavy wind. Vietnam experiences an average of 6-10 storms a year with a chance of maturing into typhoons. Floods and storms are recurring disasters that heavily impact the north central and delta region. Floods occur primarily in the central plain, along the Red River basin and Mekong delta, and account for more fatalities, whereas storms, along the coastal region, account for more physical damage. The north central region is often hit by storms and typhoons that are accompanied by heavy rain, coastal flooding, and landslides. The disaster-prone provinces with the highest frequencies of both storms and floods are Quang Binh, Thanh Hoa, Quang Tri, Thua Thein Hue, Quang Ngai, and Binh Dinh.