CDSSEA 15 Women and Livelihood Adaptation to Climate Change in the Coastal Areas of Thai Thuy District, Vietnam Author: Do Thi Diep This volume examines the vulnerability and adaptation strategy of women of different marital statuses and livelihood settings in a coastal area of Thai Thuy district of Thai Binh province in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. Women are often recognized as especially disadvantaged and vulnerable to climate-related risks. Over 100 farmer households and 30 women and men of different livelihood settings were chosen to test the vulnerability and adaptive capacity of women and men of different social and economic backgrounds. The first result of this research reveals the vulnerability of women in different marital status and livelihood settings. Accordingly, women in households that have livelihoods based on “climate sensitive resources” are more vulnerable to burdens of increasing workloads, credit shortages, and food insecurity. Among women of different marital statuses, widows and women-headed households are more disadvantaged than married and unmarried women due to the absolute responsibility for household survival that they bear. This research then identifies women’s adaptation strategies according to their vulnerability. As a result, women in general adapt well to climate risks by actively engaging in a range of adaptation activities in order to maintain and increase their income. The results also show that women of different status adapt to climate variability in different ways.