Challenges in integrating disaster risk reduction into the built environment – The Vietnam context

For decades, Vietnam has been recognized as one of the countries most vulnerable to the impact of climate change and its associated phenomena, including natural disasters and extreme weather events (NDEWEs). The increasing pattern of NDEWEs witnessed over recent times underlines the importance of disaster risk management and disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Vietnam. The Vietnamese built environment, which plays a crucial part in the national economy and facilitates the functions of the entire society, is one that is directly exposed and susceptible to disasters. Nonetheless, the achievements of the Vietnamese built environment in integrating DRR has, due to various problems, remained somewhat limited and research on NDEWEs specific to the country’s built environment is currently nebulous and sporadic. This paper presents an investigation into the progress and shortcomings in integrating DRR into the construction and maintenance of the built environment in Vietnam. The investigation is based on a comprehensive review of legislative documents and related literature which was conducted as part of a wider research which aims to establish a framework that employs various instruments and strategies to integrate DRR more effectively into the built environment in Vietnam. The challenges identified by the study include lack of capacity and coordination at the national level; gaps in legal frameworks and lack of guidance for implementation; complex institutional arrangements; incompatibility of building codes and lack of enforcement; lack of qualified human resources; and inadequate understanding among the general public. These findings are of special importance to further research into developing a complete collection of measures to overcome the existing challenges in the application of DRR in the built environment and urban infrastructure