Vietnam

Population: 83,535,576 (July 2005 est.)

Capital: Hanoi

Environmental Issues: logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices contribute to deforestation and soil degradation; water pollution and over-fishing threaten marine life populations; groundwater contamination limits potable water supply; growing urban industrialization and population migration are rapidly degrading environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

Urbanisation and population growth in Vietnam

Numerous nations around the globe are experiencing migrations of people from rural areas to towns and cities. In many cases urbanisation provides increased employment opportunities and improved access education and health services, but as populations grow and urban centres expand, increasing pressure is placed on the natural ecosystems and resources.

The Vietnamese people have undergone immense social changes throughout the last 100 years. Peace and economic growth has brought improved education, health and transport services to the nation. European colonialism and decades of warfare have all had dramatic influences on this nation. Over the past 20 years Vietnam has undergone a period of rapid economic expansion.

	Jackie (Johnny Cash)
	Jackie likes to be known as his rock idol, Johnny Cash. He grew up in the city of Saigon and presently works as a tour guide of the Cu Chi Tunnels, which were used throughout the ‘American-Vietnam’ war. Jackie talks of how Saigon is changing due to an increasing population and how the lives of its citizens have improved over the last 30 years.
	Mrs Vu Thi Hong Hangh and Mr Nguyen Van Lam
	Mrs Hangh and Mr Lam own a shop in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. They have noticed many changes in Hanoi, especially the increasing level of traffic and construction works in the city.
	Tran Thi Nhu Ma
	Mrs Ma works as an Environmental Educator in the city of Hanoi. She speaks of her childhood memories of the birds and trees in central Hanoi, as well as the environmental impacts of the built environment.
	Ngyen Trun
	Mr Trun (57) has spent all of his life in a wheel chair. As a child he used to get to and from school on a tricycle, but in a built-up environment, accessibility is a major issue. He tells us of some of his memories and of some of the current difficulties of living in Hanoi.
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