Climate change poses a dire threat to the Mekong River Delta, an important supplier of shrimp and rice to global markets. The southernmost province, Ca Mau, is threatened by sea level rise and land subsidence. Little is known of the expected combined impact of these processes, or of the perceptions of farmers towards these threats. This study first projected the combined effects using the most accurate extant elevation data. Next, to assess perceptions, we interviewed 53 farmers from six communes within the province. We found that 43% of the province could be at risk of submersion by 2030, and 75% by 2050. The interviews revealed that the farmers were largely unaware of the imminence of submersion and did not fully comprehend the nature and magnitude of the underlying processes. Constrained by the requirements of their developmental trajectory, they were focused on short term threats to their livelihood (weather, salinization, pollution). Consequently, far from adapting to the larger threats, they are engaged in practices, such as groundwater extraction for aquaculture, that are hastening the demise of the region. Their plight offers warnings to similar regions around the world. We hope that our findings can inform the development of future outreach programs.

This study identified spatial patterns of forest change in Hoa Binh, Vietnam, from 2005 to 2017 by integrating Landsat data and Geographic Information System (GIS) data. A Multiple Logistic Regression (MLR) model was adapted to analyse drivers of three types of forest change, including (i) deforestation and forest degradation, (ii) forest regrowth and (iii) plantation expansion. The results reveal that accessibility and local economic development were determinants of forest cover dynamics during the integration and globalization period and that increased population pressure and poverty were no longer the main factors in forest cover transition. Several key policies in this time period positively affected forest cover change, triggering private sector participation in developing the forest economy by including households and small and medium enterprises in particular. The findings of this study can provide learning points for the implementation of sustainable forest management policies in other Vietnamese provinces or in neighbouring countries. This research has provided an effective tool for visualizing human‐forest ecosystem interaction, and this tool can be applied to subsequent studies to determine causes of forest cover change at the provincial level in Vietnam.

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Công nghệ LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) có nhiều ưu điểm nên ngày càng được ứng dụng rộng rãi trong nhiều lĩnh vực. Đặc biệt với công tác nghiên cứu địa hình, việc ứng dụng công nghệ này đem lại lợi ích rất lớn. Bài báo trình bày những đặc điểm ưu việt của công nghệ LiDAR và thử nghiệm kết quả nghiên cứu xây dựng Mô hình số địa hình DTM (Digital Terrain Model) tại khu vực thành phố Bắc Giang. Kết quả nghiên cứu cho thấy tính năng vượt trội của công nghệ LIiDAR so với những công nghệ truyền thống, cho phép tạo DTM nhanh với độ chính xác khá cao ở khu vực đồi núi và đồng bằng, ít chịu ảnh hưởng bởi điều kiện thời tiết, đáp ứng yêu cầu cấp thiết về quản lý đô thị tại các thành phố trong công cuộc đổi mới đất nước.