Vietnam has lost about VND517 billion ($24.38 million) from natural disasters in July, versus nearly VND63.2 billion in July 2012, said the government’s General Statistics Office (GSO). Among disasters-hit localities, the northern city of Haiphong was the hardest hit with VND272 billion, accounting for nearly 53% of the country’s total damages. Natural calamities also left 21 people dead, missing and injured; over 571 houses collapsed and damaged over 8,000 hectares of paddy and subsidiary crops. The country is one of the ten countries most vulnerable to natural disasters, particularly tropical storms, floods, landslides and droughts. The country is forecast to suffer five to six typhoons per year. Vietnam lost 1%-1.5% of its GDP to natural disasters each year over the last 20 years. The country ranked fifth globally in terms of overall material losses and mortality from climatic disasters in the 1990-2009 period. (GSO July Edition)
