Implications of economic reform in Vietnam: agrarian and environmental change in Hien Luong

Abstract

Economic reform in Vietnam has been pervasive. To date, there have been few studies of the wider implications of reform outside urban and lowland agricultural areas. This study of agrarian and environmental change in a mountainous commune in north‐western Vietnam shows some of the consequences of the transitional economy for more peripheral communities and ecosystems. The study focuses on some key aspects of change, notably large scale infrastructure development, decollectivisation and the emergence of a market economy. It also investigates recent initiatives such as forest land allocation and small‐scale irrigation development within a more decentralised administrative and economic framework.

Key Words:

• Vietnam
• environment
• economic reform
• rural development
• land use
• forestry