This book describes the iterative steps that were successfully undertaken to develop adaptation
measures to climate change in two Vietnamese provinces. The methodology used to develop the
scientific basis and the societal agreement of the need to adapt to climate change is
applicable also to other regions in Vietnam Asia and worldwide. The uncertainties of climate
change models make it difficult to justify investments to finance protection from uncertain
impacts. Setting out with the projected climate change impacts in Vietnam which is one of the
most vulnerable countries to climate change the book describes a methodological approach to
assess and evaluate local vulnerabilities of natural resources to climate change and
socio-economic impacts engaging local stakeholders in the development of locally acceptable
and economically feasible adaptation measures. The methodological approach to understand the
vulnerabilities and to develop climate change adaptation measures was scenario workshops that
supported the communication between scientists and stakeholders. The development of climate
change adaptation strategies is nearly state-of-the-art in many countries but often there is
still a large step towards implementing climate change adaptation measures on the local level.
The challenge in the development of adaptation measures lies in their acceptability by local
stakeholders and decision makers. Climate change adaptation measures also usually demand
investments. To understand potential future risks the communication methodology was to first
get a good understanding of the natural resources (mainly surface and groundwater) and their
potential vulnerabilities (current and future). This was followed by developing a common
understanding of current risk patterns as well as underlying vulnerabilities and hazards.
Socio-economic developments have an equally strong and in the short term mostly even stronger
impact on the living environment and natural resources as long-term climate change impacts. The
scenario workshops developed a holistic approach on current and potential future risk patterns
with a special focus on surface and groundwater quantities and qualities natural hazards and
sea level rise. Land-use planning was identified as playing a decisive role in minimizing
current and future risks. Finally first adaptation measures for two Vietnamese provinces were
developed and shall be implemented over the next years. The methodology that led to these
adaptation measures shall be applied in other Vietnamese provinces.
