Coastal Disasters in Vietnam

Vietnam, with 3260 km coastline and two vast low-lying deltas (the Red River Delta and Mekong Delta), could be considered one of the most vulnerable countries against coastal disasters and climate change. However, it appears that people outside Vietnam do not notice the vulnerability of this country's coasts against disasters, and even the vast majority of Vietnamese people may not be aware of the extent of the perils faced by their neighboring coastal communities, even though they suffer from frequent coastal floods. The challenges faced by this country in the future will have important regional and global repercussions. This chapter briefly examines threats such as tropical cyclones, sea-level rise, flooding, and coastal erosion in Vietnam. The authors wish this chapter to be an important source of information for all those who are looking at the challenges posed by impending coastal problems in Vietnam as well as other developing countries.