A total of 316 soil samples in the An Giang province were collected from the industrial zone (48 samples), mining (40 samples), farming (112 samples), landfills (88 samples) and cemeteries (28 a samples) to analyze toxic elements, including Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd and As. The geoaccumulation index (I geo ), pollutant load index (PLI) and potential ecological risk index (RI) were used to assess pollution levels and ecological risks. The results showed that the concentrations of heavy metals were almost still within the allowable limits of national standards. Cd was not detected. Heavy metals were detected in the soil in the following order: As < Pb < Cu < Zn, mining < industrial < landfill < cultivation < cemetery areas. The heavy metals contributing to soil environmental variability were similarly identified in the cemetery with industry and landfill with farming. The value of I geo shows that As has a high potential to accumulate in soil in all land uses. The ranges of PLI values presented that the soil in industrial, farming, mining and landfills areas were classified moderate, while the cemetery areas has been rated at a high level. The RI values identified very high, high, and moderate ecological risks for cemetery, industrial and farming land and landfill, mining, respectively. The combination of PLI and RI indices showed that the cemetery areas were at the highest levels of pollution and risk. The results of this study provide scientific information on pollution level and ecological risks in various land use types supporting environmental zoning and managing strategies in the An Giang province.

This study used multivariate statistics including cluster analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA) to evaluate the variability and key indicators causing changes in soil quality in Tram Chim National Park, Dong Thap province, Vietnam. Soil samples were collected in the dry season at the habitats of Ischaemum rugosum (CM), Panicum repens (CO), Nelumbo nucifera (LS), Eleocharis dulcis (NO), Oryza rufipogon (LM), Rice field (RL), Melaleuca cajuputi (T) in two layers: A (0-20 cm) and B (20-40 cm). The parameters of pH, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total acidity (TA), organic matter (OM), total iron (Fe) and exchanged aluminum (Al 3+ ) were used to assess soil quality. The results showed that soil pH was low in both A and B layers. Fe and Al were both high, and the concentrations of these metals in layer A were higher than those in layer B. The OM content was medium while the TN and TP levels were very low. Most of the soil quality indicators tended to decrease with the depth (except for TA). The results of CA analysis showed that there was almost no major change in soil quality between the two soil layers; however, the soil quality in rice field habitat was different from other habitats. The cause may be due to human impact in adding fertilizers/pesticides during farming practices. The PCA results showed at least five influencing factors, explaining 99.7% and 99.9% of soil quality variation in A and B layers. The Al 3+ , TA, OM, and TP parameters had the main influence on the soil quality of layer A. Meanwhile, the pH, Al 3+ , TA, TN, Fe t indicators had influence on the soil quality of layer B. These indicators need to be future surveyed to assess the evolution of soil quality in the study area.

The study was conducted to determine the factors affecting the intention of people to segregate garbage in Vinh Chau town, Soc Trang province, Vietnam by surveying 198 households. Cronbach's alpha analysis method, EFA analysis, and linear regression analysis were used in the study. The analysis results of Cronbach's Alpha index, KMO and Bartlett's test showed that the questionnaire data used in the study was highly reliable and were suitable for EFA analysis. The results of linear regression analysis identified three factors including "subjective norm", "control of cognitive behavior" and "perceived level of garbage classification information" that had positive impact on intention of domestic solid waste classification of local people in Vinh Chau town, Soc Trang province, in which "subjective norm" was considered to be the most influential factor on the intention to classify domestic solid waste in the study area. Besides, the intention of the people to segregate the domestic solid waste was highly appreciated, but it has not been widely implemented in the locality. Therefore, the study proposed some governance implications based on the factors affecting the intention of people to classify household solid wastes. In particular, local authorities should pay special attention to propagating and disseminating policies and guidelines on the information of domestic solid waste and implementing a model of waste segregation at source.