As one of the countries that will endure the worst impacts of climate change, Vietnam has been comprehensively preparing to mitigate the troubles that lie ahead.

According to a report from the Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control, in the last 15 years natural calamities such as storms, flash floods, landslides, drought and salt intrusion have left 10,711 dead or missing and taken away 1.5 percent from GDP each year.

A sea embankment in the Dam Vua area, central Ninh Thuan Province, is reinforced.

In its Political Platform on developing the country in the transitional period toward socialism, revised in 2011, the Communist Party of Vietnam pledged to seriously research and forecast the impacts of climate change and implement solutions to limit these risks.

Resultantly, the National Assembly and Government have developed and issued many policies and laws, gradually creating a legal framework and policy environment.

Laws and regulations already enforced include the National Strategy for Disaster Prevention, Response and Mitigation to 2020; the Irrigation Development Strategy to 2020; the Hydrometeorology Development Strategy; the Green Growth Strategy; the Water Resources Law; and the National Strategy and National Plan of Action on Climate Change.

A National Committee on Climate Change has been formed to coordinate inter-sector efforts to implement these strategies. Meanwhile, the Government has allocated further funds enabling additional scientific and technological research on climate change to take place.

Loans with favourable interest rates and non-refundable assistance from international organisations and foreign governments, totalling over 500 million USD since 2010, have been channelled into the climate change response.

Localities themselves have taken advantage of local contributions from individuals and political-social organisations for search and rescue and disaster relief.

Vietnam has achieved progress in international cooperation and integration for its climate change response, earning recognition from its partners and drawing more assistance.

The Climate Change and Rising Sea Levels Scenarios for Vietnam, which was introduced by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) in June 2009, and updated on March 2012, provides an important basis for assessing the likely impacts of climate change, and the national plan of action used this as an important tool.

Nguyen Van Tue, Director of the Department of Hydrometeorology and Climate Change under the MoNRE, said that disaster prevention and mitigation has been strengthened and achieved progress in line with the climate change threat.

In addition, Vietnam so far has implemented 160 projects under the clean development mechanism (CDM) dictated by the Tokyo Protocol and has been granted a total of nearly 7 million certified emissions reduction units (CER).

The country is ranked fourth in the world in terms of its number of CDM projects, and ninth for the number of CER units it has.

Climate change response programme shows remarkable outcomes

The National Target Programme on Responding to Climate Change from 2011-2015 has shown remarkable results since its approval by the Prime Minister in 2008.

Waves break a part of the concrete embankment along the coast in Hiep Thanh Commune, Duyen Hai District, the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh

As of 2014, the programme built and updated the climate change and rising sea level scenarios while evaluating the impact of climate change on each field and region and promulgating action plans for each ministry, sector and locality.

Organisation and management has been strengthened and legal policies were designed to mitigate greenhouse gas effects, according to the National Committee on Climate Change Response.

Vietnam’s efforts were supported by the international community who provided over 1.3 billion USD to counter environmental changes over the past five years.

A number of adaptive measures were carried out, such as building flood-proof houses, treating salt water, growing mangrove forests along coastal areas and improving transport and irrigation systems.

The central, Central Highlands, and Mekong Delta regions in particular invested in the construction of 226 automatic rain measurement stations and in improvements to natural disaster warning systems.

As the target programme concludes in 2015, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has updated the climate change and rising sea level scenarios in each locality, to be announced in the fourth quarter of this year, enabling ministries and localities to build a feasible action plan for the next period from 2016-2020.

In addition to expanding effective adaptive models, localities will continue raising public awareness of opportunities and challenges from climate change.

The National Committee said the Prime Minister has also approved the allocation of 3 trillion VND (140.6 million USD) from ODA capital sources to implement 16 unfinished projects under the Support Programme to Respond to Climate Change (SPRCC).

Money is prioritised in the Mekong Delta, one of the most vulnerable regions to the phenomenon.

Additionally, nearly 50 projects growing and rehabilitating mangrove forests along coastal areas have been carrying out to protect the marine ecosystem, prevent erosion, increase forest coverage and ensure local livelihood.

This year, ministries and relevant sectors will launch 10 projects to upgrade dykes and water reservoirs in coastal regions.

VNA