Assoc. Prof., PhD. Luu Duc Hai
Director General, Institute for Urban Studies and Infrastructure Development,Vietnam Federation of Civil Engineering Associations (VFCEA)

- Vietnam is a country in theSoutheast Asia. The country isbordered to the North by China, tothe West by Laos and to the SouthWest by Cambodia, and the East Sea- to the east (with around 3260 kmcoastline).
- The coast of Vietnam can bedivided into 3 regions: North, Centraland South

Hoang Sa

- With an estimated over 90 million
inhabitants (2011), Vietnam is the13th-most-populous country in theworld, and the eighth-most-populous
Asian country.
Including 63 provinces
Truong Sa- 28 coastal provinces with over 50%of the total population

Vietnam is one in four countries mostaffected by climate extreme event(COP 15, Copenhagen)Sea level rise scenarios
SLR Scenario(m)

Inundated
Area
(km2)

(%)

Population
Affected(Mill)

(%)

0.25

6,237

1.9

2.0

2.4

0.5

14,034

4.2

4.7

5.7

130,116

9.1

13

16

1.5

40,2421220

24245,479

14

25

30

350,908

15

30

36

453,909

16

34

41

557,447173745

Source: Tran Thuc

Climate changescenarios of Vietnam

Decision No. 158/2008/QD-TTg dated
02/12/2008 approving the national target
program in response to climate change.

Population density in coastal zone

More than 300
coastal cities /745
citiesaffectedbyclimate change.
More than 100
citiesdirectlyaffectedby
climate change
and sea level
rise.
Besidesthecentralized
economic zones(urban areas inthe future) will
also be affected.

Extreme
rainfall andinundationin Hanoi(11/2008)
Flood in Central areas

Hoi An – The ancient city

Extreme tidal in HCMC

Sea wall and dikedamageStorm surges more
frequent and extreme

Landslide and flash
floods in mountain areas

Coastal erosionMap of hazard zones

* Construction

ground: Climatic,hydrological factors etc. are theinputs based on statistical data only
without considerations of climatechange issues -> no longer suitable
to climate change and sea level risecontext->
threatened
byinundation, floods, erosion, extreme
tides… (especially to low-lying areas
with poor drainage)

Floods in Ancient City of Hoi An

Diem Dien coastalTown – Red river Delta

Inundated low-lying(including sea port;residential areas) owing
to extreme tides; stormsurges; sea level rise
and without dike

* Water

supply: Water scarcity,
groundwater level reduced owing tosalt intrusion and drought inaccordance with over exploration;- Groundwater use -> land subsidence- Pipenetwork is vulnerable anddamaged by landslide, erosion

Xa No cannal, the main source of water supply
for Vi Thanh city (Mekong river delta) wasaffected by salt intrusion totally in 2009

Water supply pipe is damaged by landslide andflashfloods in Bat Sat Town – Lao Cai Province• Combined and centralized drainage,
sewage system and treatment plants
in accordance with old anddowngraded conditions leading to• pollution;• inundation;• system failure if an incident occurs
in the network;• high cost for investment

Siting treatment plant in risk inundated area-> threaten by sea level rise (Hoi An city)

Drainage canal is polluted and blocked
by garbage in HCM city• Transportation:- Coastal transport system affected bysea level rise; storms surges; floods;
erosion- Mountain transport -> landslide andflash floods- Downgraded due to extreme rainfall,temperature rise• Solid waste management:- Separation at source has not been
implemented- Mainly based on landfill and open
dumping site

- Pollution (especially when heavy rainsoccur)- Waste of energy and resource fromsolid waste- Green gas emissions from landfills- Some cities apply new treatment
technology (recycle, composting…)

Solid waste treatment plant in Quang Ninh• Construction ground- Upgrading the system of sea dikes and river dikes- Exalting the ground- Pumping water for drainage- Restoring the beach- Developing and updating the maps of flood risk
* Structural measures- Construction of the artificial beach by bringing sand from other places tothe eroded beach for accretion.

- Use of offshore breakwater parallel- Use of torch system to prevent sediment flow along the shore.
- Use of T-shaped torch system to prevent sediment flow along the bank andreduce waves and sediment flow from the shore to the deep sea (syntheticworks).

* Non-structural measures- Appropriate Land use planning to minimize damage- Recover forest and wetlands; design urban green system to increase urban
green targets for environment improvement• Water supply- Reviewing urban and regional water supply planning as well as construction
design, ensuring integration of climate change considerations- Rehabilitating, upgrading, renovating and expanding the existing watersupply facilities- Research and investment into the models of pilot water supply project for
implementation in each region and replication in the areas with similar
conditions across the country- Inspecting, monitoring water supply system and promptly repairing thedamaged locations to limit water losses during occurrence of natural
disaster.

- Monitoring, supervising the quality of water supply - source.

• Drainage and sewage- Reviewing urban and regional planning as well as construction design
standard, ensuring integration of climate change considerations- Studying on the approach to dispersed drainage planning – sustainableurban drainage- Setting up the pump stations, water outlets with the capacity consistent
with the evolvement of climate change- Completing the upgrade of separate water drainage and treatment works
and network to enhance adaptive capacity- Increasing room for water storage- Inspecting, monitoring, repairing, cleaning the system regularly to ensuresmooth operation in all cases or timely stop operation in case of significant
impact• Transportation- Promoting research and use of renewable energy- Upgrading and improving the transportation works in the regions mostthreatened by sea level rise

- In construction of works, particularly the works near the river and coast,
precise hydrological, tidal calculation is required to avoid flood in case of
sea level rise in the project area

- Promoting research, applying technology, highly sustainable materials (salttolerance, strength, heat resistance, expansion)• Solid waste- Reviewing and adjusting collection routes, location, status and oriented
planning of urban solid waste collection and treatment system, ensuring
incorporating climate change scenarios- applying solid waste treatment technology appropriate to each urban area
(shifting from landfill to new technology for energy recovery)• Protective infrastructure is important in urban areas, but it can also
increase risk
• Planning for adaptation means greater attention to “greeninfrastructure”: strengthen ecosystems and the services they provide• Infrastructure planning in potentially vulnerable areas should include
localized risk assessment for alternative future climate conditions:based on scenarios of both future events and of future urban
development conditions