Assessing the influence of human activities on flash flood susceptibility in mountainous regions of Vietnam

Flash floods pose a significant and escalating threat to life, infrastructure, and property in the mountainous regions of Vietnam. Over the past two decades, Vietnam has experienced rapid socio-economic development, making it one of the fastest-growing countries in the region. However, this progress has been accompanied by urbanization, land cover conversion, and reductions in natural forest coverage, exacerbating the risk of flash floods. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quantitative influence of human activities on flash flood susceptibility from 2001 to 2022. Employing various machine learning algorithms, researchers analyzed 15 independent factors and examined 452 historical data points to predict the probability of flash floods and build flash flood susceptibility maps for the period of 2013–2022.