Typhoon Yagi, the most powerful typhoon to hit Vietnam in 30 years, has killed at least 200 people since the storm made landfall on Saturday, injuring hundreds more and inflicting millions of dollars in damages.
Northern Vietnam was battered by floods, landslides, and gusts of up to 150 kilometres per hour — strong enough to uproot healthy trees and peel the roofs off homes — that knocked out power for more than 1.5 million people. The typhoon also killed 20 people in the Philippines and four in southern China.
Extraordinary becoming ordinary
Last year, a record-breaking heat wave and lengthy drought strained Northern Vietnam’s electricity grid, plunging the region into darkness, disrupting business, and making life miserable for millions.
The region accounts for more than 32 per cent of national GDP and 26 per cent of total foreign direct investment capital in the country, but extreme weather — be it floods or heat waves — is hampering growth and endangering the lives of everyday Vietnamese.
A USAID analysis suggests Vietnam is one of the world’s top five most vulnerable countries to climate change.
Climate concerns clash with economic pressures
In 2022, G7 countries, including Canada, signed a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with Vietnam, issuing a combined US$7.5 billion to help accelerate the country's green energy transition. That figure is a fraction of the estimated US$134 billion needed to fund Vietnam’s ambitious energy transition up to 2030.
Canada’s trade minister, Mary Ng, spoke at a net-zero conference in Ho Chi Minh City in March, telling Vietnamese delegates there that “[Canada] wants to be your partner of choice in helping you to power a clean and green future.”
Coal use in Vietnam continues unabated, however, with authorities anxious about further blackouts and shortages. In April 2024, coal-fired power made up a record-high 64.6 per cent of the country’s electricity generation, topping the 46 per cent average in 2023.
