Danish Ambassador to Vietnam John Nielsen, in a late May visit to HCM City, introduced a new documentary that will provide the public with information on preventive measures against natural disasters.

Storm is a 30-minute documentary which instructs families on how to best prepare for and survive a major storm, flood or natural disaster. It will be broadcast on national and regional television and appear on social media, including Facebook and YouTube, on June 1.

The Danish Embassy co-sponsored the documentary, which was made by World Climate Change Challenge, a nonprofit organisation registered in Vietnam and supported by the embassy.

"We cannot stop such disasters from happening, but we can reduce their impact if the right measures are taken in advance," Nielsen said during a press briefing on May 29.

The country is believed to be one of the world's most vulnerable countries affected by climate change, and more than 70 percent of Vietnam's population is at risk from typhoon, flood and storm surges, according to the embassy.

In 2013, Vietnam faced an unusually high number of natural disasters, including 15 intense typhoons causing 277 deaths, 855 injuries and economic loss estimated at 1.5 billion USD, the ambassador said.

Denmark was the first country to support the Vietnamese government's National Target Programme of Response to Climate Change with 40 million USD, a press release from the embassy said.

Denmark has supported Earth Hour since 2011, and Nielsen has for the last four years been acting Earth Hour Ambassador.

The Danish government has also supported the production of more than 100 radio programmes to equip people in the country's remote and rural areas with knowledge on the effects of climate change.

The press release cited one study which estimated that sea levels may rise by 33cm by 2050 and up to 1m by 2100, which could displace 7 million people in the Mekong Delta alone.

A one-metre rise in sea level will affect some 11 percent of the population, impact 7 percent of the country's agricultural land, and reduce the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by as much as 10 percent.

VNA