Vietnam is listed as one of the 10 most likely countries vulnerable to natural disasters, the UK risk consultants Maplecroft announced in a report on August 15.

Research was conducted in 197 countries around the world and Asia is the continent most at risk from earthquakes, floods, storms and other natural hazards, with six countries in the top 10.

The list is headed by the three Asian countries of Bangladesh, the Philippines and Myanmar. The other countries in the top 10 are Dominica, Vietnam, India, Honduras, Laos, Haiti and Nicaragua.

The research also indicates that the countries to suffer the most when natural catastrophes occur are Japan, the United States, China and Mexico.

According to the re-insurance giant Munich Re, 2011 was the costliest year ever for natural disasters, with economic losses of 380 billion USD recorded. The earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 in Japan alone accounted for 55 percent of the total.-VNA