The Covid-19 pandemic and livelihood vulnerabilities of people in urban areas of Vietnam

Abstract

This study was carried out to examine the livelihood vulnerabilities encountered by residents in Vietnam’s urban areas during the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic. People’s vulnerabilities are approached in terms of employment and income vulnerabilities. The study compares the changes in income and employment of residents in Vietnam’s urban regions during the outbreak of Covid-19 and after the epidemic which is gradually controlled to determine the livelihood losses that people in urban areas face. Data for the study were collected from 206 families in Vietnam’s urban areas that were directly affected by the epidemic. The multivariate regression method is used to evaluate people’s vulnerability during epidemic outbreaks. According to the findings of the study, the income disparity between the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the end of the epidemic is fairly considerable (about VND 7.6189 million/month). The multivariate regression model’s results reveal that the degree of government assistance provided during the epidemic time has the greatest positive impact on people’s income and quality of life (Standardized Coefficients = 0.584), whereas people’s unemployment during the pandemic outbreak period has a negative impact, causing damage to people’s income (Standardized Coefficients = –0.395). The study will recommend new livelihood strategies for residents in the context of Vietnam’s “new normal” based on the findings of the investigation.