Vietnam is located in the tropical monsoon region, one of the five major typhoon basins in the Asia-Pacific region, and constantly faces many types of severe natural disasters annually. Over the past 30 years, the average number of people killed or missing due to natural disasters has been around 500 people per year; thousands of people have been injured; and economic losses have amounted to approximately 1.5% of GDP. Specifically, during the period 2000–2010, the death toll from natural disasters was 5,045 people, the number of missing people was 617, and the total damage exceeded 4 billion USD (IMHEN and UNDP, 2015).
Stemming from this reality, the Information and Communications Publishing House collaborated with The Consultative Institute for Socio-Economic Development of Rural and Mountainous Areas (CISDOMA) to publish the book “Communication and Guidance on Disaster Prevention for Communities.” This book aims to enhance disaster prevention capacity for the community in general, while also providing basic knowledge and information to guide households and communities in preventing and responding to some common types of local natural disasters in particular.
