The aim of this paper is to present the transition towards sustainability and its characteristics in consumer systems of different levels. The relevance of the topic comes from the many development paths and innovation programmes which are initially recognized as sustainable in former socialist countries but which eventually all turn out to be unsuccessful. This study introduces the research which compares the sustainable consumer attitudes of the "50+" population in Switzerland and Hungary. The former is one of the most advanced consumer communities in Europe and the latter is a post-communist economy in transition. The representative sample, which contained over 1000 questionnaires and complementary personal interviews, clearly indicated the difference between the two groups of consumers. While among Swiss population marketing tools and social discussions to promote sustainable and

The wetlands of the Mekong Delta (MD) have contributed prominently to economic development in Vietnam, especially to agricultural and fisheries development. Unfortunately, the design of wetland utilization has traditionally been considered from an economic rather than ecological perspective, and wetlands utilization has suffered from a lack of scientific guidance. Many wetlands have been lost because their full value to society was not taken into account. Furthermore, the status of the delta's biodiversity is both poorly known and poorly documented. Decades of over-exploitation of the wetland ecosystems have had detrimental effects on the environment. The maintenance of the important economic functions of the MD is dependent on maintaining the wetlands' ecosystem functions.This thesis addresses several gaps in the broader wetland conservation literature by focusing on the research problem "How can the drivers of land use change in the study area be better managed to lead to more sustainable outcomes?" Using Systems Thinking in combination with Bayesian Belief Networks modelling methods, and a case study of the Phu My Lepironia grassland biodiversity conservation in Kien Giang, Vietnam, this thesis examines how successful community-based wetlands conservation can be achieved in the Mekong Delta. The study is comprised of the following components: (1) a review of the history of the drivers of wetlands degradation in the MD in order to better understand the transformation of the delta's wetlands in different periods, and an analyses of the driving forces of wetland loss and the underlying causes that derive from the differing policies of political regimes; (2) a study of various factors that influence wetlands grassland degradation and the likely consequences of conservation of the wetlands for carbon stocks; and (3) an analysis of the factors affecting how local communities' decide to make changes in their land use practices, and policy interventions that lead to the enhancement of livelihoods and improved sustainability of wetland grassland conservation in the study area.The drivers that have contributed to wetland loss and degradation in the Mekong Delta over the course of 200 years can be divided into five periods. The drivers of wetland losses have included: (1) resettlement and economic development policies; (2) population growth and urbanization; (3) demand for food and reclamation of wetlands for agriculture, construction of canals and construction of dikes for flood protection systems; (4) expansion of travel systems (waterways and roads); and (5) exploitation of wetlands natural resources. As a result of these factors, only 0.068 million ha of the original 4.0 million ha of the MD currently remain as a primary swamp forest ecosystem.ii The analysis presented in this thesis estimates the value of CO2 sequestered by different Mekong Delta wetland ecosystems (mangroves, Melaleuca swamps and wetland grasslands) to be between 5.53 Mt CO2e for grasslands ecosystem to 37.49 Mt CO2e for mangrove ecosystem...

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in 2011, Vietnam officially entered the period of “population aging” but is still a poor and developing country. The current policy approach towards the Vietnamese elderly differs from the prevailing one in which the state should have the responsibility to improve quality and provide social protection for the lives of the elderly; by making them relatively passive beneficiaries of their policies. This research brings a relatively new perspective when realizing that the elderly are an important resource in the development of the country. To adopt policies to promote the maximize their role in all areas of public life with the goal of creating a generation of the elderly “actively adapting” to the rapidly aging population. Through research and analysis of historical and legal documents, these results show that the current “positive” and “active” elderly policy approach in Vietnam is necessary

The work aims to develop digital control and management systems of copper electrolytic refining processes when addressing energy efficiency issues. Thermal imaging scanners can be used to monitor the process state of an electrolytic cell. In this regard, the experience in the automation and control systems of OJSC Novgorod Metallurgical Plant was considered. Mathematical research methods and a stochastic model developed in the MatLab software were used. This model was applied at the Lao Cai copper-smelting plant (Vietnam). The proposed algorithm is based on the temperature variation in electrolyte depending on the heating of cathode and anode sections during short circuits due to dendritic growth, as well as process disturbance time. The algorithm was developed using the Visual BasicScript programming languages. The temperature rise in short circuit areas was recorded using a thermal imaging scanner immediately after the colour change of the cathode surface. It was shown that the duration of a short circuit depends on the amount of sludge deposited in an electrolytic cell. The sludge formed following the destruction of intergrown dendrites contains precious metals. The developed measures, along with those of digitisation, are necessary for effective management, taking into account the functional and kinetic characteristics of the copper refining process. The proposed solutions and control algorithms will allow remote access systems with augmented reality elements when creating a digital twin. This will reduce the specific power consumption by 20 –25% while decreasing the number of electrode short circuits. Controlling the composition and level of electrolyte and sludge will reduce material losses and maintain the concentration of noble metals in the electrolyte. To improve the control quality of automation during the electrolytic production of cathode copper, a number of technical measures were proposed that provide additional points of control to expand the process database. Furthermore, the proportion of manual periodic measurements of process parameters is reduced.