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The vegetation diversity at Cham Chu nature reserve has two vegetation type groups at different heights (upper and under 700 m). The vegetation type group in upper 700 m with 4 types are subtropical evergreen closed forest (I), closed evergreen tropical rain forest on limestone mountains (II), closed forest mixed with broadleaf and coniferous trees (III), and tropical evergreen sparse forest that regeneration after exploiting (IV). The vegetation type group under 700 m with 3 types are closed evergreen tropical rain forest on lowland (V), closed evergreen tropical rain forest on limestone mountains (VI) and secondary vegetation that impacts by human (VII).

This study evaluated inundation impacts and the economic damage resulting from sea level rise (SLR) in the Vietnamese Mekong River Delta (VMRD), and identified the effectiveness of mixing gray and green infrastructures using cost-benefit analysis. The results showed that the VMRD could potentially be heavily affected by SLR. Without the implementation of proper adaptations, more than 90% of this area could be below sea level and nearly 20 million people could be affected by inundation by the end of the 21st century. The total economic damage could reach more than 22,000 billion US$ (2010 real value) by 2100 with no discount rate. These threats may increase the pressure on the region to ensure well-being, equity, and progress towards achieving sustainable development goals. However, achieving these goals will require the implementation of adaptations for upgrading and restoring in the region. This study assessed the effectiveness of adaptations and demonstrated that mixing gray and green infrastructures could benefit coastal inhabitants at a cost of 12 to 19 billion US$.

Essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation of the air-dried rhizomes of Curcuma cochinchinensis were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography couples with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The light-yellow coloured essential oil was obtained in a yield of 0.21 % (v/w), calculated on a dry weight basis. The main constituents of the oil were curcumol (29.5 %) and neocurdione (28.2 %).

INTRODUCTION Although depression is a major contributor to the global burden of disease, services remain scarce in many low- and middle-income countries. In Vietnam, depression services are limited, and the government has recently prioritized primary care and community-based service integration. We conducted a pilot study in 2 districts of Hanoi to test the feasibility of (a) introducing a supported self-management (SSM) intervention for adult depression in primary care in Vietnam, and (b) conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the effectiveness of the intervention. METHOD We conducted focus groups with providers (n = 16) and community members (n = 32) to assess the appropriateness of an Antidepressant Skills Workbook for use in Vietnam. We trained providers (n = 23) to screen patients using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) depression scale and to deliver SSM for a 2-month period. A total of 71 patients were eligible to participate in the study, with depression (SRQ-20) and disability (World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0) scores assessed at baseline and 1 and 2 months. RESULTS Study results demonstrate the feasibility of conducting a full RCT in Vietnam and suggest that SSM is an appropriate care model for the Vietnamese context. There was a statistically significant decrease in depression symptoms on the SRQ-20 and in functional disability in all domains for the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.). CONCLUSION Feasibility study results suggested that a full RCT was warranted. An unanticipated outcome of the study was the uptake of the model by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs in 2 additional provinces. (PsycINFO Database Record

The purpose of this qualitative study was to elicit the explanatory models (EMs) of primary healthcare providers (PHPs) in Vietnam in order to (a) understand if and how the concept of depression is understood in Vietnam from the perspective of nonspecialist providers and community members, and (b) to inform the process of introducing services for depression in primary care in Vietnam. We conducted semistructured interviews with 30 PHPs in one rural and one urban district of Hanoi, Vietnam in 2014. We found that although PHPs possess low levels of formal knowledge about depression, they provide consistent accounts of its symptoms and aetiology among their patient population, suggesting that depression is a relevant concept in Vietnam. PHPs describe a predominantly psychosocial understanding of depression, with little mention of either affective symptoms or neurological aetiology. This implies that, with enhanced training, psychosocial approaches to depression care would be appropriate and acceptable in this context. Distinctions were identified between rural and urban populations in both understandings of depression and help-seeking, suggesting that enhanced services should account for the diversity of the Vietnamese context. Alcohol misuse among men emerged as a considerable concern, both in relation to depression and as stand-alone issue facing Vietnamese communities, indicating the need for further research in this area. Low help-seeking for depression in primary care implies the need for enhanced community outreach. The results of this study demonstrate the value of eliciting EMs to inform planning for enhanced mental health service delivery in a global context.

Background Although the prevalence of depression in Vietnam is on par with global rates, services for depression are limited. The government of Vietnam has prioritized enhancing depression care through primary healthcare (PHC) and efforts are currently underway to test and scale-up psychosocial interventions throughout the country. With these initiatives in progress, it is important to understand implementation factors that might influence the successful integration of depression services into PHC. As the implementers of these new interventions, primary care providers (PHPs) are well placed to provide important insight into implementation factors affecting the integration of depression services into PHC. This mixed-methods study examines factors at the individual, organizational and structural levels that may act as barriers and facilitators to the integration of depression services into PHC in Vietnam from the perspective of PHPs. Methods Data collection took place in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2014. We conducted semi-structured interviews with PHPs (n = 30) at commune health centres and outpatient clinics in one rural and one urban district of Hanoi. Theoretical thematic analysis was used to analyse interview data. We administered an online survey to PHPs at n = 150 randomly selected communes across Hanoi. N = 226 PHPs responded to the survey. We used descriptive statistics to describe the study variables acting as barriers and facilitators and used a chi-square test of independence to indicate statistically significant (p

Aristolochia chlamydophylla C.Y. Wu ex S.M. Hwang, a medicinal plant and main distribution from northern Thailand and south-eastern China, is newly recorded for the flora of Vietnam. This species was misidentified to A. kaempferi in Vietnamese herbaria. An extent description, illustrations and taxonomic notes of Aristolochia chlamydophylla are also provided.

Background Depressive disorders are one of the leading causes of disease and disability worldwide. In Vietnam, although epidemiological evidence suggests that depression rates are on par with global averages, services for depression are very limited. In a feasibility study that was implemented from 2013 to 2015, we found that a Supported Self-management (SSM) intervention showed promising results for adults with depression in the community in Vietnam. This paper describes the Mental Health in Adults and Children: Frugal Innovations (MAC-FI) trial protocol that will assess the effectiveness of the SSM intervention, delivered by primary care and social workers, to community-based populations of adults with depression in eight Vietnamese provinces. Methods/design The MAC-FI program will be assessed using a stepped-wedge, randomized controlled trial. Study participants are adults aged 18 years and over in eight provinces of Vietnam. Study participants will be screened at primary care centres and in the community by health and social workers using the Self-reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20). Patients scoring >7, indicating depression caseness, will be invited to participate in the study in either the SSM intervention group or the enhanced treatment as usual control group. Recruited participants will be further assessed using the World Health Organization’s Disability Assessment Scale (WHODAS 2.0) and the Cut-down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener (CAGE) Questionnaire for alcohol misuse. Intervention-group participants will receive the SSM intervention, delivered with the support of a social worker or social collaborator, for a period of 2 months. Control- group participants will receive treatment as usual and a leaflet with information about depression. SRQ-20, WHODAS 2.0 and CAGE scores will be taken by blinded outcome assessors at baseline, after 1 month and after 2 months. The primary analysis method will be intention-to-treat. Discussion This study has the potential to add to the knowledge base about the effectiveness of a SSM intervention for adult depression that has been validated for the Vietnamese context. This trial will also contribute to the growing body of evidence about the effectiveness of low-cost, task-shifting interventions for use in low-resource settings, where specialist mental health services are often limited. Trial registration Retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT03001063. Registered on 20 December 2016. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-017-1924-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Depression is an important and growing contributor to the burden of disease around the world and evidence suggests the experience of depression varies cross-culturally. Efforts to improve the integration of services for depression in primary care are increasing globally, meaning that culturally valid measures that are acceptable for use in primary care settings are needed. We conducted a scoping review of 27 studies that validated or used 10 measures of depression in Vietnamese populations. We reviewed the validity of the instruments as reported in the studies and qualitatively assessed cultural validity and acceptability for use in primary care. We found much variation in the methods used to validate the measures, with an emphasis on criterion validity and reliability. Enhanced evaluation of content and construct validity is needed to ensure validity within diverse cultural contexts such as Vietnam. For effective use in primary care, measures must be further evaluated for their brevity and ease of use. To identify appropriate measures for use in primary care in diverse populations, assessment must balance standard validity testing with enhanced testing for appropriateness in terms of culture, language, and gender and for acceptability for use in primary care.

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