Hue to build a shield against increasingly extreme natural disasters

Climate change is driving increasingly complex and unpredictable disaster conditions in the central region, including Hue. Extreme local rain, compound floods, landslides, coastal erosion, and urban flooding are occurring more frequently and with higher risk. Major floods in 1999, 2009, 2020, 2023, and especially at the end of 2025 have caused heavy loss of life and property, damaged infrastructure, and directly affected residents’ livelihoods. Disasters can slow local economic growth by about 1–1.5% annually, influencing the investment climate and tourism.

Hue issues plan to strengthen prevention, response and recovery

To address these risks, the Hue city People’s Committee recently issued Plan No. 156/KH-UBND to implement comprehensive prevention, response, and remediation measures for disasters in the new phase. After administrative reorganizations, the city has 40 communes/wards. The disaster prevention system is organized from the city to the local level, with Civil Defense and disaster prevention commands at all levels ensuring the principle of “4 at-hand.”

Forty communal-level disaster-response squads are maintained and regularly trained in rescue, evacuation, flood and landslide response. Mechanisms such as the Disaster Prevention Fund and Civil Defense Fund, along with post-disaster recovery policies, are reviewed and refined to help people stabilize livelihoods quickly.

Notably, Hue’s disaster prevention work is shifting from mere response to proactive prevention and risk mitigation from early stages.

Digital transformation and technology as a breakthrough

A key feature of the plan is to position digital transformation and technology application as a breakthrough. Hue has deployed systems such as rainfall radar, automatic rain gauges, flood monitoring, GIS digital maps, the Hue-S smart city platform, and unmanned aerial vehicles for disaster surveying. In the near term, Hue will expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze, forecast, and issue early warnings for dangerous weather events.

Integrating rainfall, flood, inundation, landslide data and evacuation points onto digital maps helps authorities manage in real time and supports residents in monitoring disaster information on mobile devices. HueIOC staff monitor the hotline, receiving thousands of reports from residents during storms and floods.

Infrastructure investment for 2026–2030

Alongside technology, the city will continue investing in disaster prevention infrastructure for 2026–2030. Large projects include upgrading reservoirs, building drainage systems from the Southwest toward the estuary, developing storm-shelter mooring areas, constructing sea walls in the Chan May port area, and improving flood-control capacity at Ta Trach reservoir.

These works are expected to reduce urban flooding, protect riverside and coastal communities, safeguard agricultural production and transport infrastructure, and form a robust shield against disasters.

People-centered prevention, evacuation readiness and public awareness

Crucially, Hue places people at the center of disaster prevention. The city will continue reviewing and relocating households in high-risk landslide zones, developing evacuation plans, stocking food, clean water, and essential supplies for emergencies. Awareness programs and disaster-prevention training in schools and communities will be expanded, together with a digital-alert system to help people access information quickly and accurately.