Vietnamese youth on bikes in flood
Ongoing project

Youth Action

Youth-led adaptation for climate change challenges in Vietnam: social action, intergenerational and intercultural learning

Project summary

The Challenge

Rising sea levels and rising rainfall linked to climate change, place the Red River catchment in Vietnam on the front line of the climate emergency.

The Approach

Finding creative, youth-led perspectives and action on the climate challenges facing populous, economically important and diverse areas in Vietnam.

The Outcome

The project works towards mitigating the impacts of climate change on rural and indigenous communities in Vietnam’s most important river catchments.

Lead academics

Funded by

Project partners

The Challenge

Vietnam and climate change

Rising sea levels and the increased intensity and magnitude of rainfall linked to climate change, place the Red River catchment in Vietnam on the front line of the climate emergency.

An increase in the frequency and scale of flood events, landslides, soil erosion and periods of drought means that Vietnam’s citizens, government and policymakers are faced with significant challenges concerning flood and climate change mitigation, adaption and resilience.

High cost interventions to combat such impacts – such as flood defences – are unlikely in a low to middle income country like Vietnam. Enabling communities to adapt to their changing climate – through education, awareness-raising and capacity development amongst its citizens – is therefore an essential step in building community-led climate action and resilience.

Climate Injustice Fact

Those countries, communities and groups least responsible for causing climate change are the ones who will or already are suffering most from its effects.

The full research team

  • Katie Parsons PhD Researcher, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Hull

  • Dr Hue Le Centre for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (CRES), Vietnam National University

  • Thu Thi Vo CRES, Vietnam National University

  • Dr Chris Hackney Newcastle University

The Approach

Our research is developing creative, youth-led perspectives and action on the climate challenges facing one of the most populous, economically important and ethnically diverse areas in Vietnam.

The project works in partnership with young people – supporting them to identify imaginative ways to mitigate climate change challenges in the Red River basin area. Youth-led work is exploring how local, traditional and indigenous knowledge can develop understanding. And subsequently strengthen local and societal resilience through an innovative partnership approach that incorporates peer-to-peer, intergenerational and cross-/inter-cultural forms of collaborative learning.

Utilising a participatory action research design and drawing upon anti-colonial methods and approaches, the project will result in innovative forms of knowledge exchange rooted in these diverse ways of knowing; through the creation of culturally-specific forms of affective and aesthetic expression.

The project includes an international Youth Advisory Board comprising young people aged 14 to 30 years who are involved in climate action from across the world guiding the project team.

The Impact

The project works towards mitigating the impacts of climate change on the diverse rural and indigenous communities which inhabit one of Vietnam’s most important river catchments. It will do this by:

  • facilitating youth in the area to research issues that impact directly upon them. Helping them to feel confident participating in policy discussions surrounding prevention and mitigation strategies to climate change.
  • recording and developing indigenous, historical knowledge and understanding on the impacts, and responses to, climate change.
  • educating the public and policy makers on the threats and environmental challenges facing global populations from large-scale human interference of deltas.
  • ensuring that the diverse rural and indigenous communities of the Red River Catchment have access to the diverse knowledges and practices that can help mitigate and/or assist adaption to a changing landscape resulting from climate change.
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