Economics, culture and social issues of coastal areas in Southern Vietnam and sustainable development

Abstract

Economic and socio-cultural issues of 9 coastal provinces and cities in southern Vietnam were investigated within the framework of sustainability which viewed development as not only fulfilling the needs of current generations but future ones also. At the same time, development had to insure synchronized growth in economics – society – environment according to aims and plans of the region in particular and the whole country in general. Moreover, we approached the issues within theoretical framework of cultural ecology, area studies, ecology and anthropology by applying interdisciplinary methods. For secondary data, we accessed reports from related offices in the provinces and cities, and the national and provinces’ Decisions of sea strategies until 2020. We discovered that the issues of economics, society and culture of the region have always been involved environmental protection, resources preservation and preparation for potential huge damages of climate change which are significant contents and challenges of sustainable development. To solve the problems in the relations between human and physical environment in maritime anthropological perspectives is to solve the relationship between maritime environment and human subsistent activities based on which proper strategies toward sustainable development for the communities may be attained. The problems of aquaculture’s sustainable development in the region are definitely environmental ones which should be taken into account in the provinces’ and cities’ proposing and implementing resource management policies in order for the environment to revive and thus ensure a sustainable living habitat for human.