Extreme weather events regularly disrupt healthcare systems in Vietnam, damaging critical infrastructure and interrupting services in hospitals and clinics across the country.

Researchers from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) have been working on the ground with international partners to understand these pressures and apply practical solutions to help health services remain operational during climate-related crises.

The work forms part of the £3 million RESHAPE (RESilience in HeAlth Post-Extreme weather events) project, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, which is examining how climate change is impacting health systems globally. The project involves partners in Malawi, Vietnam, Tanzania and Uganda to investigate how climate change and extreme weather threaten hospitals and healthcare providers in each of these countries, and how local and international knowledge can be combined to strengthen health-service resilience.

As part of the latest phase of the project DMU’s Dr Brahim Herbane and Dr Blessing Chukwuka  travelled to Hanoi to meet international partners and share early findings. During the Vietnam visit, they took part in project activities including data-collection workshops designed at De Montfort University, partner and stakeholder meetings and study site visits. These workshops aimed to understand healthcare organisations’ capabilities, capacity and responses to extreme weather events, using business continuity management processes developed at DMU.

Early findings show the scale of the challenge. In parts of Vietnam, extreme weather has caused damage to emergency departments and disrupted access to power and clean water, with services in many healthcare facilities still affected days after events.

The research  enables researchers to assess how healthcare systems respond under pressure and identify where targeted improvements could strengthen resilience—from infrastructure and supply systems through to workforce impacts.