🇻🇳 Vietnam
Last verified: July 2026 — validate with your local authorities during the annual update of the club directory.
1. Emergency numbers
Vietnam has no single universal number (no 911). Dial the number matching the service. Note: emergency lines are answered in Vietnamese only — keep a Vietnamese-speaking club member or translator reachable.
| Service |
Number |
| Police |
113 |
| Fire and rescue |
114 |
| Ambulance / medical emergency |
115 |
| Disaster, incident and rescue hotline (search & rescue, natural disasters) |
112 — toll-free, operated by the Ministry of National Defence; routes to 113/114/115 and civil-defence networks |
2. National disaster management
| Element |
In Vietnam |
| National agency |
VNDMA — Vietnam Disaster Management Authority, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) (since the 2025 merger, MARD is combined into the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment); VNDMA is the standing office of the national steering committee — phongchongthientai.mard.gov.vn |
| National steering body |
Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, chaired by the Minister of Agriculture; National Civil Defence Steering Committee (Ministry of National Defence) for search & rescue |
| Territorial crisis authority |
Provincial / district / commune People's Committees and their Committees for Natural Disaster Prevention, Control and Search & Rescue (across the provinces and centrally-run cities) |
| Civil defence / search & rescue |
Provincial Military Commands (Ministry of National Defence) — operate the 112 hotline and lead rescue operations |
| Citizen preparedness |
Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) programmes coordinated by VNDMA — useful entry point for a club's preparedness training |
3. Alert systems
| System |
What it is |
Access |
| NCHMF (National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting) |
National typhoon, storm-surge, flood and flash-flood forecasts and warnings, under the Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration (VNMHA) |
nchmf.gov.vn / kttv.gov.vn |
| VNDMA disaster monitoring |
Damage reports, alerts and disaster bulletins |
phongchongthientai.mard.gov.vn |
| Hotline 112 |
Report an incident/disaster nationwide; free of charge |
Dial 112 |
| Local loudspeaker / commune broadcast |
Village and commune public-address systems relay evacuation orders — still the primary last-mile channel in rural and coastal areas |
Automatic (local) |
| SMS / carrier alerts |
Mobile operators relay official storm and flood warnings during major events |
Automatic |
4. Key non-Rotary actors
| Actor |
Role in disaster |
| Vietnam Red Cross Society (VNRC) |
Emergency relief, first aid, shelter, family reunification; 63 provincial chapters — redcross.org.vn |
| Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) |
Central channel for domestic disaster-relief donations (see donation note, section 6) |
| Provincial Military Command / Border Guard |
Search & rescue, evacuation, boats — the operational responders on the coast |
| UN agencies & INGOs (UNDP, IFRC, Save the Children, etc.) |
Recovery, funding, technical support — coordinate via PACCOM |
| Provincial People's Committee |
The club's institutional contact — get known there BEFORE the crisis |
5. Dominant risks → guide cards
| Risk |
Where |
Card to print |
| Typhoon / tropical storm |
Central and northern coasts (South China Sea / East Sea), roughly June–November |
Card B1 |
| Flood |
Red River & Mekong deltas, central provinces |
Card B2 |
| Flash flood |
Northern & central mountainous provinces |
Card B2 |
| Landslide |
Northern & central highlands, after heavy rain |
Card A4 |
| Drought & saline intrusion |
Mekong Delta, south-central coast |
Dedicated card in preparation — see roadmap |
| Heat wave |
Northern & central provinces, dry season |
Card B4 |
6. Equivalences with the guide's terms
| Generic term in the guide |
Vietnam equivalent |
| National disaster management agency |
VNDMA (under MARD) |
| National response plan |
National Plan for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control; National Civil Defence framework |
| Emergency medical service (EMS) |
Ambulance service via 115 |
| Territorial state authority |
Provincial / commune People's Committee |
| National weather / warning service |
NCHMF / VNMHA |
| Search & rescue coordination |
National Civil Defence Steering Committee (Ministry of National Defence), hotline 112 |
| Inter-agency coordination |
Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control |
Donation rules: domestic disaster-relief fundraising is tightly regulated. The Vietnam Fatherland Front is the central channel for relief donations without a designated recipient. Individuals may raise and distribute voluntary contributions but must announce the campaign publicly (dedicated bank account, distribution timeline) and notify their commune-level People's Committee. International NGOs may not raise funds inside Vietnam without a PACCOM operation permit or case-by-case approval; emergency international aid for relief must be approved and used within 3 months of the disaster (9 months for recovery). A foreign Rotary club should route support through VNRC, a permitted INGO, or a local partner — check current rules before committing funds.
7. Rotary section — to be completed by your club
| Element |
Your information |
| Rotary district |
____ |
| District Governor (DG) |
____ |
| District disaster officer (DRO/DRC) |
____ |
| ShelterBox contact |
____ |
| Vietnam Red Cross provincial chapter (contact) |
____ |
| Neighbouring clubs (< 50 km) |
____ |
| Last update of this section |
//______ |
Sources: GOV.UK Vietnam travel advice (police 113, fire 114, ambulance 115); Ministry of Agriculture and Environment / VietnamNews (hotline 112); VNDMA — phongchongthientai.mard.gov.vn; UN-SPIDER & PreventionWeb (VNDMA under MARD); NCHMF / VNMHA (nchmf.gov.vn); IFRC & Vietnam Red Cross Society (redcross.org.vn); Council on Foundations / Vietnam Law Magazine (donation rules). Report any error: g.bourgogne.rtn@gmail.com