Adapting to natural disasters

Typhoon No. 10 left devastating consequences: 66 people dead or missing, 164 injured, 349 houses collapsed, over 172,000 houses damaged, nearly 1,500 schools and 145 medical facilities destroyed. Nearly 8,800 power poles were broken, causing power outages for 2.7 million customers, with estimated damages of 15,864 billion VND.

Around this time last year, Typhoon Yagi caused severe damage: approximately 344 people died or went missing, nearly 2,000 were injured, almost 282,000 houses had their roofs blown off, 112,000 houses were severely flooded, more than 284,000 hectares of rice and crops were damaged, and total economic losses exceeded 81 trillion VND.

The two most recent major storms demonstrate the increasing extremity of natural disasters, causing widespread impacts from coastal plains to mountainous regions, ranging from flooding and landslides to droughts and saltwater intrusion.

Hundreds of thousands of rural houses with corrugated iron roofs and wooden pillars cannot withstand the storm. The already weak power grid, telecommunications, and irrigation systems easily collapse. A single storm is enough to disrupt the livelihoods of millions of households.

The World Bank estimates that in 2020 alone, climate change cost Vietnam the equivalent of 3.2% of its GDP. Without decisive adaptation action, this figure could rise to 12–14.5% of GDP by 2050. With an economy currently worth over $500 billion, that level of loss is enormous.

Those most severely affected are poor households, smallholder farmers, ethnic minorities in mountainous areas, and coastal communities. They have lost their homes, their land, their livelihoods, and are almost incapable of recovering on their own without support. The gap between "who can and who cannot" is becoming increasingly clear.

Natural disasters expose long-standing weaknesses in infrastructure. Many dikes, reservoirs, and saltwater intrusion barriers have deteriorated and their designs are no longer suitable for the new climate conditions. Rural houses lack construction standards, while urban areas are flooded after just a few heavy rains.

The institutional framework for disaster risk management remains fragmented. Residential planning still allows people to live in low-lying areas, riverbanks, and areas at risk of landslides. The financial response mechanism relies primarily on contingency budgets and social contributions, lacking sustainability. The early warning system is limited, leaving people in many areas unable to take preventative measures.

The pressures of rapid development – ​​massive urbanization, resource exploitation, deforestation – are undermining the environment's ability to protect itself. When climate change exacerbates these interventions, the damage becomes even more severe.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, in an online meeting on October 3rd, emphasized: “The damage caused by Typhoon No. 10 is enormous, multifaceted, and at many levels, seriously affecting production and people's lives. Infrastructure is generally still lacking and weak, and many long-standing projects have not met the requirements for disaster response. This is a profound lesson for us to continue improving institutions, enhancing risk management capacity, and better preparing for emergency situations.”

This statement shows that the central task is not just post-storm recovery, but institutional reform, changing the approach from the root: planning, construction standards, financial mechanisms, and decentralized management.

Short-term – emergency response. The government has set out nine urgent tasks after Typhoon No. 10: rescuing victims, repairing damaged houses, rebuilding schools, and restoring electricity, water, and telecommunications. The deadlines are very tight: complete repairs to schools and health centers before October 15th; rebuild collapsed houses before December 15th. The issue is not just about the progress, but also the quality of the construction to avoid the situation of "preventing the storm only for it to be damaged again."

Medium term – enhance resilience. A comprehensive program for climate adaptation infrastructure is needed: strengthening dikes, reservoirs, irrigation systems, and power systems. Invest in climate data and modern, internationally connected early warning systems. Population planning must be linked to risk maps, ending the situation where people live in hazardous areas.

Long-term – a shift in the development model. The World Bank recommends that Vietnam pursue two parallel paths: resilience and emission reduction. To achieve this goal, approximately US$368 billion needs to be invested by 2040, from the state budget, private capital, and international financing. The "develop first, fix later" approach is no longer viable; climate change must be a mandatory element in planning and investment.

Green economy, renewable energy, eco-cities, mangrove forest protection, sustainable marine economy – these are practical approaches to both reduce emissions and increase resilience.

Typhoon No. 10 and Typhoon Yagi demonstrate that a single major natural disaster can wipe out months, even years, of growth. Vietnam cannot maintain a "post-typhoon relief" mindset; it must shift to "proactive adaptation": from laws, planning, and infrastructure to financial mechanisms and technology.

The question we need to ask isn't "when will the storm come?", but rather: "When the storm does come, how prepared are we?".

Lan Anh