Application of livelihood vulnerability index in evaluating household’s livelihood vulnerability to climate change in Can Gio district, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam

Abstract

Climate change has directly and indirectly affected the livelihood of households that rely on climate conditions for their livelihood in the coastal areas of Vietnam. This study applied the livelihood vulnerability index (LVI) to assess the vulnerability of a household’s livelihood under the effect of climate change in one of the most highly vulnerable areas of Viet Nam - the Can Gio coastal district of Ho Chi Minh city. Based on a survey of 107 households within six communes and one town located in the Can Gio district, the LVI was calculated at both district and commune scales. The results reveal that the district of Can Gio is at a moderate vulnerability level (LVI=0.303), while the Ly Nhon commune (LVI=0.334) is the most vulnerable of the seven surveyed areas. Additionally, the aspects of livelihood strategies (0.516), socio-demographic profile (0.391), and food (0.385) are critical to the determination of the livelihood vulnerability of the seven surveyed communes.

Keywords

• Can Gio
• climate change
• livelihood vulnerability
• LVI