Viet Nam is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, extreme natural conditions, and natural disasters. The occurrence of these events undermines the country's sustainable development and their impact is particularly severe for its disadvantaged populations. In one example, in 2010, flooding in the largely agricultural and impoverished province of Ha Tinh affected the livelihood of more than half a million people.

There is a growing realization in the international community that risk reduction, disaster relief and sustainable development are closely related. The burden of disasters falls disproportionately on developing countries and disaster reduction is an important part of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals for abating poverty.

UNESCO’s Disasters and Emergencies programme in Viet Nam aims to contribute to disaster resilience through knowledge, education, information and public awareness. UNESCO's strategy builds on the expertise and networks of its international scientific and educational programmes to construct a global culture of disaster preparedness and mitigation and promote a conceptual shift in thinking away from post-disaster reaction to pre-disaster action.