Purpose

This case study explores the extent to which legal frameworks in Vietnam support national and local disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts against natural hazards. It covers a wide range of law and regulatory issues including the integration of DRR into disaster management laws, institutional arrangements, liability, early warning systems, infrastructure, building codes, land use planning, environmental management/climate change adaptation, awareness-raising and education.

Overview

• Law and regulation is crucial to the current successes in DRR in Vietnam. Although there remain some gaps in the legal framework and its implementation, the new disaster risk management (DRM) law seems likely to address many of these gaps.
• Many effective DRR mechanisms in Vietnam are supported by legal frameworks which detail the institutional framework, implementation methods, allocation of financial resources, and clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Responsibilities are now more clearly allocated and defined under the new DRM law, but the well-established implementation mechanisms through responsible ministries and People’s Committees (PCs) remain in place under the new DRM Law. These mechanisms assist in integrating DRR principles into the legal and policy environment in Vietnam which, in turn, contributes to sustainable development and community resilience in the face of natural hazards.

Usage: Learning from experience

Audiences: Technical staff

Citation: Tukker, H. & Chinh, N. C. (May 2014). Vietnam: Country Case Study Report. How Law and Regulation Support Disaster Risk Reduction. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (pp. 1-86).