Economic Growth and Climate Change Challenges to Vietnamese Ports

Climate change is arguably one of the main challenges facing humanity in the twenty-first century, and the threat that it poses to ports and other coastal areas has only recently started to be fully understood. In this sense, climate change will probably have a disproportionate effect on coastal regions, and due to the forecast increase in sea level and tropical cyclone intensity caused by global warming, many ports in Vietnam could come under increased pressure in the course of the next century. In order to respond to such challenges, an action plan should be drafted to effectively respond to climate change, taking into account the activities of coastal communities and the development stage of the country. The present chapter aims to investigate and assess the long-term development of ports in Vietnam in the context of rapid economic growth and climate change. In order to do so, it is important to understand that the development of ports is tied to population growth and socioeconomic development. Thus, a brief summary on the ports in Vietnam will be given, followed by a discussion of the effects that climate change can have on these ports. Due to the importance that ports are expected to play in the economic development of Vietnam, it is clearly important that careful consideration should be given to long-term planning on where new ports should be located. Furthermore, how these ports will adapt to future climate change should be carefully assessed, in order to mainstream climate change adaptation into port development plans.