This study demonstrates the steps of building a spatial analysis model that is applicable in synthetically assessing the sensitivity of landscape erosion in mountainous regions. Field testing was carried out at Ngu Chi Son commune, Sa Pa district, Lao Cai Province, Vietnam. The primary basis is the application of the GIS spatial analysis model in mapping the landscape structure. Subsequently, depending on the landscape structure map, the analysis model of erosion levels due to erosion factors (rainfall, terrain, the thickness of soil layers, mechanical compositions, vegetation cover, and cultivation measures of human beings) was constructed. The employed algorithms included spatial overlay, spatial interpolation, attribute reclassification, and average indexes. The results of this study have indicated the erosion sensitivity of every landscape unit, which is categorized into five levels: very low, low, medium, high, and very high. Obtained appraisals and sensitivity categorization are important fundaments to issue exploitation orientations and reasonable usages of resources within the researched region. This proves to be a new direction of research with overall potentials in assessing mountainous landscapes.

There was an error in the map in Fig. 1 (Study area of Ngu Chi Son, Vietnam). It is replaced with Fig 1S in the electronic supplementary material. Correction reason: To add Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos according to the Law of Vietnamese government. Publisher's Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.