With many high mountains and streams, landslides and flash floods are a constant threat to local residents, especially those living at the foot of mountains and along streams and rivers.
The province has 59 communes in areas with especially high risk of landslide, while 33 others face high risks and 20 with risks at medium to low levels.
Those communes are located in Dien Bien, Dien Bien Dong, Muong Cha, Muong Nhe and Nam Po districts, and Muong Lay town.
The provincial authorities have been carrying out several projects to relocate residents from high-risk areas, but most of them are facing difficulties in financial resources.
Dien Bien is allocated 2 billion VND for relocating 100 households in particularly dangerous areas, but as of the end of 2018, only 47 households had been moved to safe area.