By Madelyn Rawlyk, MAGG
I walked out of the airport into humidity that felt like a steam bath, greeted by a moody grey sky, distant skyscrapers and lush greenery insisting on populating the streets, sidewalks, and buildings. As a Canadian who had just left the oranges of autumn in Saskatchewan, the vibrancy of Viet Nam’s nature was striking, though I soon noticed many toppled trees and debris disrupting the streets. I was entering Hanoi just days after Yagi had subsided: the super typhoon that affected millions in Northern Viet Nam, leaving thousands without homes and resulting in tragic losses. Yagi’s destructive wake is a stark reminder of the severity of climate-induced weather events, the vulnerability of coastal countries like Viet Nam, and the urgency of supporting climate adaptation initiatives that may be less visible to those of us in the Global North.
My internship at UNDP Viet Nam is in the Climate Change and Environment unit, working on nature-based solutions to advance coastal resilience to extreme weather events like Yagi. While I’m only a few weeks into my role, I’ve already learned so much about the importance of ecosystems like coral reefs, mangrove forests, and seagrass beds for mitigating the impact of waves, storms, and floods, and their co-benefits for carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and sustainable livelihoods. UNDP Viet Nam has a large portfolio of Climate/Disaster Resilience and Poverty Reduction projects that collaborate with local and global partners such as the Government of Viet Nam and the Global Environmental Facility to facilitate ecosystem restoration, protection, and community-led management. Personally, one of the projects I am most excited to contribute to is a partnership between Global Affairs Canada and UNDP Viet Nam that provides funding for empowering nature-dependent communities, particularly women, to scale up nature-based climate solutions and protect the biodiversity of mangrove and coral reef ecosystems. It’s invigorating to see the global partnerships that one learns about in classes come to life in such a vibrant setting and brilliant team. I will also have the privilege of contributing to projects that work to advance blue carbon restoration, Viet Nam’s Nationally Determined Contribution 2025, and youth engagement for climate action on nature-based solutions. Outside the projects that I’m assigned to, I’m excited to learn from the passionate experts in the office working on circular economy and energy solutions, the climate-health nexus, waste and plastic management, and natural resources and biodiversity. As someone who has always dreamed of working in climate action, I feel completely immersed in my interests here and overwhelmingly excited to work among so many talented sustainable development experts and leaders.
Outside the office, I enjoy navigating Hanoi’s traffic and embracing motorcycle culture which involves hopping on the back of a bike for a quick ride as you weave through the busiest streets I’ve ever seen (think highway 401 but it’s all motorcycles and roundabouts in a big city). When you’re not on a bike, crossing the street can be a challenge, and I’ll always be grateful for the local on day one who noticed my trepidation and told me to “always cross streets slowly and confidently because traffic here moves like water around a rock.” The sage advice has helped me every day since!
While I am still very early into my role, if you’re reading this as a prospective student, know that a UN internship in another country is an extraordinary learning experience, and absolutely worth considering no matter your background. I look forward to sharing more stories from Viet Nam as I learn and grow into my role and cannot wait to contribute to coastal resilience projects.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the BSIA, its students, faculty, staff, or Board of Directors.