This Law, consisting of 57 articles divided into ten Chapters, prescribes hydro-meteorological activities, including management and operation of the network of stations; forecast and warning; information and data; hydro-meteorological support and services; climate change monitoring; weather modification and state management; rights, responsibilities and obligations of agencies, organisations and individuals engaged in hydro-meteorological activities. This Law applies to Vietnamese agencies, organisations and individuals; foreign organisations and individuals; and international organisations participating in hydro-meteorological activities in the territory of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The principles of hydro-meteorological activities are: 1. Hydro-meteorological activities that commonly serve socio-economic development, national defence and security and natural disaster prevention and combat shall be funded by the state budget. 2. Hydro-meteorological activities shall be managed in a centralised and uniform manner nationwide. 3. Hydro-meteorological observation must ensure accuracy, continuity and consistency and observation results connectable within the country and to the world. 4. Hydro-meteorological forecast and warning must be reliable; and hydro-meteorological forecast and warning information shall be transmitted and broadcast in a timely, accurate and complete manner. 5. The hydro-meteorological information reception and transmission system shall be guaranteed to operate regularly and continuously at a high speed and on a wide scope.
The Law is divided as follows: General Provisions (Chap. I); Management and Operation of Hydro-Meteorological Station Networks (Chap. II); Hydro-Meteorological Forecast and Warning (Chap. III); Hydro-Meteorological Information and Data (Chap. IV); Climate Change Monitoring (Chap. V); Hydro-Meteorological Support Activities and Services (Chap. VI); Weather Modification (Chap. VII); International Cooperation on Hydro-Meteorological Activities (Chap. VI); State Management of Hydro-Meteorological Activities (Chap. IX); Implementation Provisions (Chap. X).