Vietnam: Disaster management reference handbook

This Vietnam Disaster Management Reference Handbook is intended to provide an overview of Vietnam’s disaster management system and practices for personnel within the U.S. armed forces and others who may engage alongside Vietnamese counterparts in disaster response operations or collaborative disaster-related trainings and activities. It is our hope that this resource not only informs readers but also strengthens cooperation and advances our shared capability in disaster response.

Vietnam has a high exposure to natural hazards – especially floods and storms – and in recent decades has been steadily reducing vulnerabilities and increasing coping capacities. Vietnam places great importance on the area of disaster risk assessment, and disaster zoning helps authorities identify priority measures for each region. The Vietnamese government is gradually mapping disaster events nationwide, though the effort requires significant financial and technical resources. Major reforms are anticipated in 2025 to streamline disaster management (DM) administration and the resourcing of DM activities in the country.