Vietnam is estimated to lose VND11.8 billion ($621,000) due to natural disasters in April, the General Statistics Office said. In the month the calamities destroyed 800 hectares of rice and other crops and 1,500 houses, the office noted, adding that Quang Nam province was the worst hit with losses of VND9 billion. Vietnam is one of 10 countries which will be most vulnerable to natural calamities, including tropical storms, floods, landslides and droughts. Natural disasters killed 800 Vietnamese people a year and caused property losses estimated to account for 1%-2% of the country’s GDP between 1996 and 2005.
