Vietnam

is established by the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act 2007. It aims to streamline DM systems by clarifying roles and coordination among stakeholders. It includes provisions for DRR.222 The Defence Organizational Act 2008 is also relevant.223 Thailand’s DM framework also includes the National Disaster Risk Management Plan 2015-2020, provincial and District DRM Plans, and DRM Annual Action Plans.

Vietnam joined ASEAN in 1995,224 and during the intervening 25 years, Vietnam’s membership in ASEAN has undergirded economic advancement. Vietnam, along with Singapore, has the largest number of Free Trade Agreements (FTA) among ASEAN memberstates; it is a signatory to 16 FTAs, according to the Emerging Markets Research of Hong Kong Trade Development Council.225 Vietnam also has FTAs with several countries outside of ASEAN as a means of advancing its economy and production network. These FTAs have helped Vietnam boost exports and trade.226

Disaster Risk

Vietnam is one of the most hazard-prone countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Due to its location and long coastline, Vietnam is regularly exposed to hydro-meteorological hazards including severe storms, cyclones, typhoons, floods, landslides, and coastal erosion.227 Vietnam also faces low to moderate risks of droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis, forest fires, and cold and heat waves.228

National DM Framework

Lead responsibility for DM is assigned to central, provincial, district, and local authorities based on a five-level assessment of risk. The Deputy Prime Minister is the national focal point, according to the recent Prime Minister Decision 1527/QD-Ttg, issued on 14 September 2021. At the central level, the National Steering Committee for National Disaster Prevention and Control (NSCNDPC) is the lead body. The NSCNDPC is supported by Commanding Committees for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue (CCNDPC/SAR) at the national, provincial, district, and communal/ ward-level. The standing office of the NSCNDPC is the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority (VDMA), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.229

Law on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control (LNDPC) 2013 and Amending Law No. 60/2020/QH14

In terms of legislation and policy, DRM Decrees and regulations issued in the past decade demonstrate a wide instrumental reach and several overlapping mandates. The Law on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control laid down necessary institutional arrangements, functionaries, and mandates covering essential functions of DRM and disaster response.230

Decree No. 66/2021/ND-CP supporting the Law on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control (LNDPC)

The LNDPC is supported by a series of decrees (similar in status to regulations) that supplement implementation of the law. The supporting decrees have been amended over time. The most recent decree is Decree No.66/2021/ND-CP, effective from 28 August 2021. This decree provides guidelines for natural disaster prevention and control activities; rights and obligations of agencies, organizations, households, and individuals engaged in disaster prevention; and details the state management of prevention and control including recognizing the importance of adapting to climate change. It requires the creation of a National Strategy on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control every ten years and requires the inclusion of climate change-related risks within the Strategy. District level and provincial natural disaster prevention and control plans are required to identify potential climate change-related impacts on socio-economic activities.231