We empirically investigate the determinants of household flood protective strategies and risk perception using data from a household-level survey conducted in spring 2012 in Vietnam. Our empirical analysis shows that some flood protective behaviours of Vietnamese households are driven by the perception of flood risks, a result consistent with the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT). Our results also suggest that both perceived probabilities and perceived consequences of floods are related to some cognitive processes included in the PMT. Lastly, we document the important role played by public flood management policies in shaping individual flood risk perception and protective behaviours.