Although clean water supply and environmental hygiene for urban and rural people have been further improved, dysentery and diarrhoea remain common in poor areas. Around 6 million people have contracted one of six widespread diseases over the past four years, and direct expenditures on cholera, typhoid, dysentery and malaria have totaled around VND400 billion.

Climate change and rising sea levels will have a great impact on water resources and their quality, posing a challenge for Vietnam in the future.

Vietnam is one of the five countries in the world that are most affected by rising sea levels, according to the World Bank’s report.

To cope with the problem, Vietnam plans to exchange experiences, share ideas and develop effective cooperative models for global, regional and local responses to clean water and climate change issues.

The country is sparing no effort to fulfill its duties as a member of the United Nation’s General Assembly and the World Meteorological Organisation.