Are Southeast Asia's Street Vendors Ready for Climate Change?
Loan, a street vendor in her mid-40s from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, sells freshly squeezed orange juice to factory workers. She spends hours on her feet pressing oranges by hand, while coping with unstable income, limited government support, and frequent harassment from local officials. Lately, another challenge has intensified her daily struggles — climate change.
“When it rains heavily and the streets get flooded, I have to push my [motor]bike loaded with goods through the water,” says Loan. “It is both exhausting and dangerous. I’ve almost slipped while riding my motorbike.”
Hot days offer little relief. As Loan explains, “On sunny days, the work is equally tiring. By the time I pack up to go home, I’m drained.” Floods, heat, and erratic weather patterns increasingly worsen her already difficult working conditions.
In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 63-year-old Chhim Sovannary sells Nom Krok (crispy cakes) and pancakes at the Dumex food market. Like Loan, she faces severe disruption from extreme weather. A report by StreetNet International notes that vendors such as Chhim are among the most vulnerable to growing climate pressures across cities.
- Floods destroy stock and deter customers.
- Heat waves exhaust workers and spoil food.
- Losses reduce already precarious earnings.
These climate stressors threaten livelihoods and food security in urban areas across Southeast Asia, where informal street vending sustains millions of families.
Author’s Summary
Amid rising temperatures and floods, Southeast Asia’s street vendors struggle to preserve their incomes, health, and resilience in rapidly changing urban climates.