Ha Noi, 29th September 2025 – From prolonged heat to sudden downpour, outdoor workers in Ha Noi face growing threats from extreme weather and air pollution. Coping on their own is no longer enough. They require a sustainable support system that combines government action, businesses responsibility, and community engagement—alongside stronger social protection, urban infrastructure, and climate-change adaptation measures.

This is the key finding of a new study conducted by ECUE Social Enterprise and the For a Livable Ha Noi Network, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Viet Nam. The survey is part of the thematic research and technical assistance initiative “Promoting Social Inclusion and Climate Change Adaptation in Ha Noi” funded by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through UNDP’s Viet Nam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) Programme.

Extreme Weather: Daily Risks and Long-term Harm

A survey of more than 300 outdoor workers in Ha Noi revealed two types of risks:

• Cumulative risks – prolong exposure to heat, air pollution, and noise that slowly erode physical and mental health.
• Event-based risks – Sudden phenomena such as storms, squalls, and floods that disrupt work and endanger safety.

These two types of risks reinforce each other: long-term exposure weakens the ability to cope with sudden shocks, further deepening workers’ vulnerability.

According to the results, heatwaves and heavy rain are the most damaging weather patterns for the health, work, and daily lives of outdoor workers. While many individuals have tried to adapt—by adjusting work hours, seeking temporary shelter, or using improvised protective gear—existing responses remain short-term, individual, and unsustainable. Moreover, the impacts of extreme weather vary significantly by occupation, gender, physical condition, working hours, workplace environment, and access to protective equipment or support. This underscores the need for tailored interventions for different occupational groups such as street vendors, delivery drivers, and construction workers.

Voices from the Field

Mrs. Đỗ Thị Hồng, a scrap collector in Ha Noi who took part in the discussion, offered a vivid example: “Sun and rain affect our work, health, and daily lives in so many ways. On scorching days, roaming the streets is exhausting and the risk of heatstroke is high. At landfills and scrap yards, the stench rises thick and foul—it’s unbearable. On rainy days we have to stop working because scrap like cardboard and paper gets soaked and no one will buy it; pushing on is pointless. We spend all day on the streets, and even though I try hard to protect my health—wearing a raincoat, mask, and hat—I still can’t avoid falling ill when the weather suddenly changes.”

Ms. Nguyễn Thảo Đan, a visually impaired street singer, recalled her music group’s experience: “Our band usually performs outdoors, mainly in Thống Nhất Park and around Hoàn Kiếm Lake. At the lake there are canopies, so when the sun blazes or sudden rain comes, we still have a place to shelter, which makes a huge difference. Many members of the group are visually impaired, so whenever the weather turns bad they can hardly help pack up the equipment. At those times only the logistics team can rush to stow the instruments and speakers. If the city could install more shelters in public outdoor spaces, it would certainly be a great help to music groups like ours.”

Mr. Trần Tiến Hiện, a traditional motorbike taxi driver, shared: “Riding in the blazing sun is exhausting. Some days I drive so long I get dizzy and have to pull over under a shady tree to rest for a while. I just wish the city had more trees and more shade so riding wouldn’t be so grueling. And it would be great if the smoke from vehicles could be reduced—especially from old, worn-out ones that have long missed their inspections but still run, belching thick black fumes and causing heavy pollution.”

Toward Sustainable and Participatory Solutions

Based on feedback from outdoor workers who took part in the survey, the research proposes a series of measures to address and reduce the impacts of extreme weather. Key recommendations include: “greening” urban infrastructure, expanding public spaces, strengthening environmental protection, and ensuring that climate-adaptation policies and social-protection measures are inclusive and mutually reinforcing. At the same time, it is essential to amplify the voices of outdoor workers themselves, creating stronger mechanisms for consultation and direct dialogue with them during the development and implementation of urban development and climate-response policies.

However, these solutions cannot succeed through isolated individual efforts alone. A comprehensive, closely coordinated approach is needed, bringing together government, businesses, social organizations, and local communities. When all stakeholders act in concert, Ha Noi can not only boost the resilience of vulnerable outdoor workers but—more importantly—ensure that no one is left behind in the face of climate change, helping to build a capital city that is safe, inclusive, and truly livable.

Further stories on extreme weather and outdoor workers from the study are available at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AS0UCKl_qrXWpKQ2-uQWlR3uJsY-BqYCRjuRIGH1aa8/edit?usp=sharing  
 

===
Contact Information:
For a Liveable Ha Noi Network: 
●    Lê Quang Minh – Project Officer
●    Email: lequangminh@ecue.vn
●    Phone: 0367090888.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam:
●    Trần Thị Vân Anh – Communications Officer
●    Email: tran.thi.van.anh@undp.org
●    Phone: 0363585842