Comparing Local and Immigrant Household Preparedness for Natural Hazards in the Van Chan Mountain

Abstract

Vulnerable groups are affected more by extreme weather as compared to the population on average. In the Vietnamese mountains, the ethnic minorities, as the Tay , Thai , Hmong , and Kinh , are definitely among the most vulnerable groups in the country: they are poor and live on minimal resources stemming from traditional agriculture (tea, rice, and vegetables). The human ecological characteristics of these groups are poorly described in the literature.

This chapter aims at identifying which natural hazards these populations perceive as threatening and how to adapt to them. A major aspect of the discussion relates to the changing LULC in the area.

The chapter takes off with a description of the LULC changes on the Van Chan mountain. Villages and agriculture occupy gradually but deliberately more land, while deforestation goes on. The four main ethnic minorities (Tay, Thai, Hmong, and Kinh) living in this area are described in their human ecological context. A two-round Delphi-inspired analysis in which representatives of these four ethnicities took part allows identifying the most important natural calamities as floods and landslides , together with the prioritization of their impacts. The research equally allowed inventorying the adaptation actions already undertaken by the local inhabitants.