Resources - Community Consultation for Long-Term Climate-Resilient Housing in Vietnamese Cities: a Comparative Case Study Between Hue and Da Nang

AUTHORS:

Tran Tuan Anh, Tran Van Giai Phong, Tran Huu Tuan, Martin Mulenga, Tran Van Giai Phong, , Tran Huu Tuan, Martin Mulenga

Climate change and housing are closely linked in Vietnam’s cities. The impact of climate change is one of the biggest concerns for government and civil society. In Central Vietnam, storms and floods are common and dangerous hazards. Housing vulnerability is therefore intensified – and also by fragile physical and socio-economic conditions. Post-disaster housing reconstruction in Central Vietnam is still mainly seen as a single recovery action, separate from the development of local housing and achieving long-term housing resilience. Using comparative case studies from Hue and Da Nang – two Vietnamese cities most vulnerable to climate change – this research examines key issues of climate-resilient housing (CRH) in post-disaster housing reconstruction to highlight the significant relationship between them, using a CRH framework developed from the Institute of Social and Environmental Transition’s urban climate resilience framework. The findings show that developing CRH in Vietnam requires the integration of local and innovative knowledge and requires the greater involvement of local government, civil society organisations and the private sector. Key policy recommendations include: • Built environment professionals such as local architects and engineers should work with low-income groups to support them in constructing safer and more resilient housing. • Local governments should take more responsibility for this and for the development of low-income housing and settlements in hazard-prone areas. • More support is needed from government and public and private sectors for local economic development in hazard-prone areas, and to bridge the gap between local built environment professionals and at-risk low-income households. • Social capital such as mutual help among neighbours in response and recovery after disasters is an essential component of climate resilience of low-income households. • Planning permission is needed in the form of building permits, which include safety-related construction criteria for hazard-prone areas.