Vietnam emergency preparedness: official guide

Who is responsible for civil preparedness in Vietnam?

In July 2025 the Prime Minister merged three national bodies (civil defence, natural disaster prevention, and incident response and search and rescue) into one National Civil Defence Steering Committee (Ban Chỉ đạo Phòng thủ dân sự quốc gia). The Prime Minister chairs it and the Ministry of National Defence is its standing agency ¹. Its portal, ptdsqg.gov.vn, was set up in November 2025 ⁶.

Other bodies matter for preparedness:

• The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF) publishes disaster warnings on nchmf.gov.vn ⁷.
• The Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention Authority (Cục Quản lý đê điều và Phòng, chống thiên tai, VDDMA), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, publishes advice for storms and floods ⁸.
• The Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (VARANS) sets the rules for radiation emergencies ⁹.

What is on each page?

• Emergency supplies: official advice is at least 3 litres of water per person per day, for at least three days ¹⁰.
• Kit: the official items, line by line.
• Public shelters: shelter works exist in law, but no public list or locator is published ¹¹.
• Alerts: risk levels 1 to 5, radio, television and warning text messages ⁵¹².
• Iodine: no household distribution of potassium iodide is published.
• Build a shelter: no rules specific to a private shelter.
• Shelter standards: the Ministry of Construction's guidance on which homes hold in which storm level ¹³.
• Safe water and Air quality: drinking water, drought and the official air quality index.
• Emergency contacts: 113, 114, 115, 112 and 111.

Is there a national preparedness booklet?

Phaenyx found no national booklet sent to households. Official advice is published online, for example the VDDMA's storm and flood skills relayed by the government portal in July 2025 ⁸. Every year, 15 to 22 May is the National Disaster Prevention Week, set by the Prime Minister ¹⁴.

Where do I start?

Save the emergency numbers, learn how warnings reach you, store water for at least three days ¹⁰, and check whether your home is safe in a typhoon (shelter standards). For hazards common in Vietnam, see /guides/hurricane-preparedness, /guides/flood-preparedness and /guides/family-plan.

Frequently asked questions

What is the emergency number in Vietnam?

113 is the police, 114 fire and rescue, 115 medical emergency ². 112 takes reports of incidents, disasters and requests for help, free of charge ⁴.

Who handles disasters in Vietnam?

The National Civil Defence Steering Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister, with the Ministry of National Defence as standing agency ¹.

Does Vietnam send emergency alerts to phones?

Mobile operators send warning text messages when the authorities ask: in 2025 and the first 10 months of 2026, 4 rounds reached 47 million subscribers, the Ministry of Science and Technology reported in November 2026 ¹². Phaenyx found no cell broadcast system in service.

Does Vietnam have public bomb shelters?

The law provides for shelter works for the people, but no public list, count or locator is published ¹¹¹⁵. See public shelters.