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Eco-industrial park is the new trend in developing sustainable industrial zones. In Vietnam, the concept of ‘eco-industrial park’ has gained its popularity in the last decade; yet there remain many obstacles in actualizing this model. One of the main reasons is the lack of a criteria set for building eco-industrial parks that fits Vietnamese situation. We analyzed criteria for building eco-industrial parks in other countries in order to compare with current criteria in Vietnam. Suggestions for establishing a criteria set for building eco-industrial parks in Vietnam were discussed.

Improving quality of life (QOL) is an important objective. This study measured the QOL of farmers in rural areas in Vietnam using the WHOQOL-BREF. 600 farmers from 5 provinces in Vietnam participated in the study. Farmers reported low QOL, with psychological dimension had the highest QOL score and environmental dimension had lowest QOL. Male, young, well-educated, married, healthy farmers and farmers who had average living standard, living in small families, living with having less than 3 working members, and have savings were more likely to have higher QOL. However, only 3 factors predicted QOL: education, living standard and number of working members. Implications on Vietnamese family culture and the role of agriculture in modern society were discussed.

Survey results of 1,452 people representing families of 6 ethnic minorities in 11 communes of 7 districts in 7 provinces in the Northwest region shows that the production organization capacity of the ethnic minorities surveyed has changed, but still remains many limitations. The change in production capacity of ethnic minorities is reflected in the fact that the majority of families have produced in a new way (know how to use some machines, use new plant varieties and breeds, apply chemical fertilizers, use pesticides, and some agricultural products produced for sale). The limitations of the production organization capacity of ethnic minority families are shifting cultivation, dibbling, rudimentary production tools, low labor productivity, production by small-scale, autarky, shifting cultivation of wandering hilltribes). If comparing between traditional production method and new production method, the traditional production method is still more prevalent. One of the main causes of this situation is that ethnic minorities live in mountainous areas with difficult transportation, so the main cultivation method is shifting cultivation. The application of machines in production faces many difficulties.