Local actors appear as inseparable components of the integrated flood risk mitigation strategy in Vietnam. Recognizing this fact, this study examined the long-term improvement in precautions taken by commune authorities and households between two major floods in 1999 and 2017 by applying both quantitative and qualitative methods. Two flood-prone villages were selected for a survey; one in a rural area and the other in a suburban area of Thua Thien Hue Province, central Vietnam. The findings indicate that most villagers doubted the structural works’ efficacy and were dissatisfied with the current efforts of local authorities. Households’ self-preparation thus became the decisive factor in mitigating risk. While most households have paid greater attention to flood precautions in 2017, others seem to be lagging. Poverty-related barriers were the root causes restraining households in both rural and suburban villages. The suburban riverine residents were further identified as vulnerable by their limitations in upgrading structural measures, which was ascribed to the inconsistency in the ancient town’s preservation policy. This multidimensional comparison, in terms of vulnerability, emphasized the importance of space-function links in the suburb and the contradictions of different policy initiatives, such as landscape rehabilitation, disaster prevention, and livelihood maintenance.

在越南，减轻洪灾综合风险战略中不可或缺的要素是当地参与者。认识到这一事实，本研究通过定量和定性方法研究了1999年至2017年两次重大洪灾之间公社当局和家庭采取的预防措施的长期改进。选择了两个易发生洪水的村庄进行调查；一个在越南中部的顺化顺省农村地区，另一个在郊区中。调查结果表明，大多数村民对结构工程的有效性表示怀疑，并对当地政府目前的努力不满意。因此，家庭的自我准备成为降低风险的决定性因素。虽然大多数家庭在2017年更加重视防洪措施，但其他家庭似乎仍然落后。与贫困有关的障碍是制约农村和郊区村庄家庭的根本原因。由于郊区居民在升级结构措施方面的局限性，他们进一步被认定为脆弱人群，这归因于古镇保护政策的不一致。就脆弱性而言，这种多维比较强调了郊区空间功能联系的重要性以及景观恢复，防灾和生计维护等不同政策举措之间的矛盾。