The Vietnamese Population: The Daily and Lasting Impacts of Weather and Climate

Vietnam is a narrow, but densely populated country dominated by an agricultural society. As of 2006, according to Encyclopedia Britannica Online, the population of Vietnam has reached 83,458,000. The entire population of Vietnam is living within only 127.149 total square miles of the country. Under the burden of such a booming population, Vietnam is still a developing nation and therefore the infrastructure, and livelihood, of the country is subject to the changes in weather, climate, and society.

Because Vietnam is an agricultural society, crops and land cultivation can be a very delicate feature of a society that are intimately connected to changes in weather and climate. Most of Vietnam’s agriculture is concentrated in the Mekong River Delta in the south and the Red River Delta in the north. The land in the deltas has not always been ideal for cultivation. However, cultivation took off after the French colonists built a series of canals and dikes in the deltas after their colonization in the 17th century. As a result, in the Mekong River Delta for example, 60% of the total land is now under cultivation. The majority of the agricultural work done to maintain this high level of production is still done by humans and water buffalo.

Traditionally, roughly 90% of the population of Vietnam has been peasants living off the land, and this lifestyle is still being promoted and secured by government policy. “Today government policy is emphasizing agriculture over industry, promoting export crops, and granting incentives to farmers in an effort to increase the population of grain” (Duikar, 11). Rice has traditionally been and is still the staple crop of the country, however, other major crops now include sugarcane, cassava, corn, sweet potatoes, and nuts. Vietnam also exports shrimp, squid, crab, and lobster from freshwater fisheries on the plains of the Mekong River. These fisheries, although they provide food and monetary support for the Vietnamese, are also stripping the river of the mangroves that have always grown there. This change is significant to the Vietnamese because coastal regions have previously been protected from flooding and rising sea level as a result of the mangroves. Now that they are being removed, primarily for the sake of shrimp farms, they leave these areas and villages exposed to the impacts of weather.

In order to be near the fertile land, the population of Vietnam is primarily concentrated in the lowlands of the country. By global standards, Vietnam is a relatively poor country with an average per capita income of less than U.S. $200 annually. The poverty in Vietnam plays an integral role in how people are prepared to cope with weather events and climate changes. In the IPCC report they state, “it is likely that climate change will impinge on sustainable development of most developing countries of Asia as it compounds the pressures on natural resources and the environment associated with rapid urbanization, industrialization, and economic development” (471).

The weather in Vietnam impacts the population on many levels, but most significantly through the flooding that comes with the tropical cyclones during the monsoon season. Vietnam is located in the tropical belt and therefore has seasons dominated by the monsoon and the amount of rainfall. The monsoon season usually lasts from May to November and drops an average of 79in or 200 cm of rain. When it is not monsoon season, depending on the region, the Vietnamese often cope with staggering heat and less than ideal working conditions. As a result, much of the working day is structured around the climate. Workers prefer to work early and late in the day while taking a longer break during the hottest temperatures at mid-day. The temperatures in Northern Vietnam fluctuate more than in the South. In the north, temperatures can change up to 45 degrees per day, whereas in the south, temperatures usually remain between 64-91 degrees Fahrenheit.

During the rainy season, Vietnam also experiences many extreme tropical cyclones, or typhoons, that generally occur between July and November, and are most severe on the central coast. This region of the country also experiences the worst flooding as a result of the tropical cyclones. The most current example in Vietnam of this weather system that effects so much the population, is Typhoon Lekima. On October 3, 2007 Typhoon Lekima slammed into the central coast of Vietnam. The typhoon, named after a Vietnamese fruit, was not unanticipated, and 500,000 people were able to evacuate their homes prior to its arrival. However, the flooding that has continued since the typhoon has been highly destructive and demoralizing as damage from an entire season of flooding piles up in poor villages across the country.

Tropical cyclones are the primary extreme weather that puts both human life and livelihood at risk in Vietnam. According to the IPCC report on “Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability” of climate change, tropical cyclone intensity could see a 10-20% increase in intensity in the future. Much of the Vietnamese population faces risks of severe flooding and landslides as a result of this potential increase. Also, with the removal of the mangroves along coastal regions, those populations are even more vulnerable. Not only is flooding destructive to crops and economic infrastructure, but extreme weather can create a transient lifestyle for families that interrupts continuity in education and cultural traditions. Unfortunately, much of Vietnam’s population doesn’t have the resources to compensate for such a loss in infrastructure and are left homeless, on the move, or living from season to season,

The increased intensity of extreme events such as hurricanes and typhoons is also likely to injure or kill more people (and disrupt communities) unless steps are taken to enhance risk-averse planning and construction and to provide better warning and recovery capabilities, and again, developing countries are much more vulnerable” (Encyclopedia of World Climatology p. 214).

Vietnam serves as an example to demonstrate how people and populations are never independent from the climate systems in which they live. The agriculture, customs, lifestyle, and life chances are all deeply connected to the climate. In a fast changing world dominated by concerns with climate change, understanding the human impacts, like those in Vietnam, is becoming increasingly essential.