Hanoi, Nov. 25 -- Successive and severe natural disasters that have struck Vietnam since the beginning of this year have left 409 people dead or missing and 727 others injured, with estimated economic losses of more than 85 trillion VND (3.2 billion USD). The disasters have also caused 337,297 houses to collapse, be swept away, damaged, or lose their roofs; and 553,417 hectares of rice and other crops, along with 376,792 hectares of other plants, to be flooded and damaged. At a forum on applying science and technology in disaster forecasting and early warning, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment on November 25, Nguyen Ton Quan, deputy head of the Department of Community-based Disaster Risk Management and Communication...