What is the Vietnamese Government doing for Climate Change Adaptation?
According to the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat), Vietnam ranked sixth among countries globally hardest hit by climate change and extreme weather phenomena during 1999 – 2018, for almost 20 years. In 2020, unprecedented levels of loss and damage to human lives and infrastructure were caused by a historic series of storms and floods in the Central region of Vietnam. According to a report from the Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, climate disasters happened only in October 2020 brought 232 deaths and an economic loss of 15.576 billion VND (676 million USD) for Central Vietnam provinces. To prevent such kinds of losses and damages, the Vietnamese Government is implementing master plans, national plans and projects for climate change adaptation.
Tra Vinh: Climate Change Adaptation Project (Source – Tra Vinh: Climate change adaptation project benefits the poor | Society | Vietnam+ (VietnamPlus) on Thursday, June 18, 2020 16:56)
This project is to support poor and near-poor households in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh in developing climate change adaptation production models during the 2014-2019 period. The project has been implemented in the locality during 2014 – 2020 funded by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), CCA, Vietnamese Government and other beneficiaries. The purpose of the project is to help 15,000 poor and near-poor families in 30 communes better their capacity in adapting to climate change and improve livelihoods. Practically, this Tra Vinh Climate Change Adaptation Project brings effectiveness through directly supporting poor and near-poor households, business households, and cooperative groups, with priority given to households of the Khmer people and women. For more details: Link
Vietnam mobilizes resources to implement climate change adaptation (Source – Vietnam mobilises resources to implement climate change adaptation | Environment | Vietnam+ (VietnamPlus) on Monday, August 10, 2020 11:23)
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a national plan on climate change adaptation for the 2021-2030 period with a vision through 2050. This plan aims for Vietnam to effectively utilize resources, enhance statement management, coordinate finance and technology and promote the engagement of the community, businesses and international organisations in implementing targets in climate change adaptation. The plan was established based on the guidance documents of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) regarding the collection of information and data analysis and assessment of impacts, hence setting out tasks and solutions to adapt to climate change. The goals of the plan are minimizing the vulnerability and risks from climate change by enhancing resilience and adaptive capacity of the community, economic sectors and ecosystems, mitigating disaster risks and losses, and enhancing the preparedness for natural disasters and extreme weather caused by climate change. During its first phase from 2021-2025, the plan will emphasize on completing mechanisms and policies on climate change adaptation, making legal and technical preparations to promote the integration of climate change into policies, strategies and planning schemes, and implementing prioritized tasks and solutions. From 2026-2030, the plan will focus on improving state management in climate change, and enhancing resilience of economic sectors, the community and the ecosystem. Between 2030 and 2050, efforts will be made on improving adaptive capacity of people and infrastructure, and ensuring food, energy and water security, gender equality, social welfare, public's health, and sustainable national development amidst climate change and natural disasters. For more details: Link
Ho Chi Minh City's master plan to 2040 focuses on climate change adaptation (Source – HCM City's master plan to 2040 focuses on climate change adaptation | Videos | Vietnam+ (VietnamPlus) on Monday, September 27, 2021 18:08)
This master plan of Thu Duc City, the newly established smart city, will be developed into an innovative city model that will support the development of HCM City and the southern region due to HCM City being forecasted to have 13-14 million people by 2040 and 16 million by 2060 which plans to allocate 100,000-110,000ha of land for urbanization by 2040. The master plan will establish Thu Duc City with the integration of urban development with the effective use of the city's natural conditions and ecosystems to protect the environment and adapt to climate change. For more details: Link
Vietnam seeks technical cooperation to fight climate change (Source – Vietnam seeks technical cooperation to fight climate change | Environment | Vietnam+ (VietnamPlus) on Thursday, October 21, 2021 21:30)
Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE) of Vietnam is seeking international cooperation opportunities regarding rainfall collection and purification technology to fight climate change in the Mekong Delta. The Mekong Delta, which is Vietnam's biggest farm produce and fisheries production hub, faces environment and climate change issues each year like rising sea water level, saltwater intrusion, drought, floods and storms, prolonged and serious tropical tornadoes. The project has four components; (1) to improve resilience, (2) to develop resettlement and (3) to establish ecological areas via small-scale infrastructure intervention in the Mekong Delta's coastal areas, (4) to focus on dealing with environment and socio-economic problems in three communes of Tra Vinh and Bac Lieu provinces. The project will provide three water purification and two rainfall collection systems, repair 850m of dykes and plant over 1,000 square meters of mangrove forests from 2021 to 2025. For more details: Link