New topic page: Disasters
“Vietnam is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. S-shaped with a 3,440 km coastline, its unique geographic location in the monsoon belt of Southeast Asia and diverse topography means that Vietnam suffers from many different types of natural hazards, including typhoons, tropical storms, floods, drought, salt water intrusion, landslides, and forest fires. More than 70% of Vietnam’s population is at risk from natural hazards, particularly the rural and urban poor.
While natural disasters are normal for the region, climate change has impacted their frequency and severity globally, including in Vietnam. Over the past three decades, extreme weather events have caused an average of 500 deaths a year.The economic damage related to disaster amounts to 1% of the country’s GDP annually.”
Read the full topic page (available in English and Vietnamese) recently published by Open Development Vietnam.
