Lan Bui Thi Hoang, Truong Dinh Duc, Dat Tran Tho, Quang Bui Huy, Hang Nguyen Dieu, Huan Le Huy
Faculty of Environmental, Climate Change and Urban Studies, National Economics University (NEU), Hanoi, Vietnam.
School of Trade and International Economics, NEU, Hanoi, Vietnam.
PLoS One. 2025 Sep 8;20(9):e0330482. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0330482. eCollection 2025.
This study aims to assess the livelihood vulnerability to climate change of ethnic minority communities in Yen Bai province, a typical mountainous region in northern Vietnam. Utilizing the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) framework developed by Hahn et al. (2009), in combination with the IPCC vulnerability structure, the research analyzes eight components related to household characteristics, health, food, water, housing and productive land, social and financial networks, livelihood strategies, and exposure to climate shocks. Data were collected through a combination of desk study and survey with 480 households from two major ethnic groups: Tay and Thai.The results indicate that the Thai group has a higher overall LVI score (0.43) compared to the Tay group (0.37), reflecting greater livelihood vulnerability. The main factors contributing to this difference are limited livelihood diversification, lower educational attainment, weaker access to healthcare, and higher dependency on climate-sensitive resources. Although both groups are highly exposed to climate-related hazards such as flash floods, landslides, and droughts, the Thai group demonstrates greater sensitivity and lower adaptive capacity. This research contributes theoretically by adapting and refining the LVI framework to suit the context of upland ethnic communities, and practically by providing empirical evidence to inform climate adaptation policies. The study highlights the need for differentiated and context-specific strategies that prioritize ethnic minority communities with high vulnerability, focusing on improving education, livelihood diversification, healthcare access, and institutional support mechanisms.
本研究旨在评估越南北方典型山区永福省少数民族社区对气候变化的生计脆弱性。该研究采用哈恩等人（2009年）开发的生计脆弱性指数（LVI）框架，并结合政府间气候变化专门委员会的脆弱性结构，分析了与家庭特征、健康、食物、水、住房和生产用地、社会和金融网络、生计策略以及遭受气候冲击相关的八个组成部分。数据通过案头研究和对来自泰族和岱族这两个主要少数民族的480户家庭进行调查相结合的方式收集。结果表明，与岱族群体（0.37）相比，泰族群体的总体LVI得分更高（0.43），这反映出其生计脆弱性更大。造成这种差异的主要因素包括生计多样化有限、教育程度较低、获得医疗保健的机会较弱以及对气候敏感资源的依赖性较高。尽管两个群体都高度暴露于与气候相关的灾害，如山洪暴发、山体滑坡和干旱，但泰族群体表现出更高的敏感性和更低的适应能力。本研究在理论上通过调整和完善LVI框架以适应山地少数民族社区的背景做出了贡献，在实践上则通过提供实证证据为气候适应政策提供参考。该研究强调了需要制定差异化的、因地制宜的战略，优先考虑高脆弱性的少数民族社区，重点是改善教育、生计多样化、医疗保健获取和制度支持机制。
