Located in Southeast Asia’s tropical monsoon belt, Vietnam is ranked among the region’s most hazardprone
areas33 and commonly experiences floods, droughts and typhoons, as well as occasional forest
fires, landslides, and earthquakes. Figure 3 gives an indication of the economic damage associated with
major hazards in the country. Given its high exposure to floods and storms, and the fact that two of its
most important economic sectors – industry and agriculture – are located in coastal lowlands and deltas
– Vietnam has been listed by the World Bank34 as one of the five countries that will be worst-affected by
climate change.