Transition In Vietnam Research Articles

Energy Transition in Vietnam: A Strategic Analysis and Forecast

Energy landscapes in Asia and other regions are currently undergoing a transformation aimed at increasing the share of clean energy sources. This article analyzes and forecasts the electricity demand in Vietnam, examining existing constraints that necessitate the shift from coal to renewable energy sources. The rapid economic growth in Vietnam is driving a substantial surge in electricity demand, projected to reach 124 thousand MW by 2030 according to the National Electricity Plan, positioning Vietnam second in Southeast Asia. This surge poses a significant challenge to national energy security, given the impracticality of effective coal mining in the country and the imperative to develop renewable energy sources. Anticipating the changes in Vietnam’s energy mix by 2050, this study foresees a substantial reduction in dependence on coal production. Government investment and green energy investment funds such as JETP are strategically directed towards renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, biomass, hydrogen energy, and efficient energy storage technologies. Consequently, this research substantiates the viability of an energy transition from coal to green energy in Vietnam. The article presents an assessment of the rate of replacing coal with renewable energy sources, taking into consideration various scenarios for economic development, energy consumption growth, and the utilization of renewable energy sources.

Understanding the characteristics of the household energy transition in a developing country

Understanding the energy transition process in developing countries is crucial to implement policies to reduce the use of traditional fossil fuel-based energy sources, which increase pollution, worsen global climate change, and negatively impact people's health. Existing literature indicates that households account for approximately 25% of total energy consumption for consumption and production activities. However, understanding the energy consumption patterns of choices of energy sources and their determinants has largely been neglected in the existing literature. As such, this study uses the multivariate probit model to identify the factors influencing household energy choices in Vietnam, using data from 2016 to 2020 from the Vietnamese Households Living Standard Surveys (VHLSS). Our study focuses on how households' multiple occupations, particularly in rural areas, affect energy sources choices. We find that households participate in different agricultural sub-sectors simultaneously, resulting in differential access to multiple energy sources. Households engaging in cultivation, forestry, and animal husbandry activities are more likely to choose coal, fuelwood, and biomass as the primary energy sources for production and daily uses. In contrast, higher household income and household head with higher education level also increases the likelihood of choosing cleaner energy choices for daily uses and production activities. In addition, our empirical findings confirm the validity of the "energy stacking” hypothesis rather than the “energy ladders" hypothesis – two contrasting hypotheses concerning household energy transition in the literature. Policy implications have emerged based on the findings of this paper to enhance the clean energy transition in Vietnam in achieving sustainable economic development and social transformation and her commitment to combating global climate change issues.

Dynamic association of green financial innovation, eco-financing, carbon tax, economic openness, and sustainable energy transition in Vietnam: fresh evidence using DARDL approach

Sustainable energy (SE) transition and environmental quality have become a predominant part of integral policy worldwide. Besides, economic development policies at global level are being reformulated to make sure that energy supplies are reliable and have the tendency to protect environment. Although, economies are participating in activities which can help to fulfill overarching goals but developing economies specifically face challenges due to high dependency on coal consumption. The article, thereby, intends to explore the role of green financial innovation, eco-financing, carbon taxes, and economic openness on the SE transition in Vietnam. The study also checks the role of inflation and industrialization on the SE transition as control variables. The article also used Dynamic Auto-regressive Distributed Lags (DARDL) to test the connection among the variables. The outcome indicated that green financial innovation, eco-financing, carbon taxes, economic openness, inflation, and industrialization have a positive and significant linkage with the SE transition in Vietnam. These outcomes provide guidelines to policymakers in establishing new policies regarding SE transition.

A Practical Approach to Launch the Low-Cost Monitoring Platforms for Nearly Net-Zero Energy Buildings in Vietnam

Buildings with solar rooftops have become vital objects in the energy transition in Vietnam. In this context, the demand for research on energy management solutions to use energy efficiently and increase PV energy absorption capacity is rising. In this paper, we present a practical route to developing a low-cost monitoring platform to meet the building energy management in the country. First, our project built a monitoring architecture with high-density wireless sensors in an office building in Vietnam. Next, we discussed the influence of significant obstacles such as technical issues, users, and cost on the resilience and reliability of the monitoring system. Then, we proposed essential solutions for data quality improvement by testing sensors, detecting wireless sensor network errors, and compensating for data losses by embedding machine learning. We found the platform’s potential in developing a rich database of building characteristics and occupants. Finally, we proposed plans exploiting the data to reduce wasted energy in equipment operation, change user behaviors, and increase auto-consumption PV power. The effectiveness of the monitoring platform was an approximate 62% energy reduction in the first year. The results are a cornerstone for implementing advanced research as modeling and real-time optimal control toward nearly zero-energy buildings.

Prevalence of HIV-associated Co-infections and Clinical Characteristics among HIV/AIDS Outpatients in the Context of Dolutegravir Roll-out Program in Vietnam

The prevalence of significant HIV-associated co-infections and clinical data of HIV/AIDS outpatients in the context of dolutegravir (DTG) transition are sparsely reported in Vietnam. Treatments of HIV co-infection, including antifungals, anti-tuberculous drugs, and direct-acting antiviral agents for viral hepatitis C, potentially challenge the efficacy of DTG-based therapies in terms of drug-to-drug interactions. We conducted a single-center, cross-sectional study between June and October 2020 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. HIV-infected outpatients were enrolled in the study when they attended the clinic to receive medical consultations and antiretroviral therapy (ART). Descriptive analyses were performed to describe the data. A total of 406 HIV-infected participants were enrolled in the study. The prevalence of HIV co-infected with chronic viral hepatitis B and C were 9.9% and 10.6%, respectively. Approximately 22.2% of HIV-infected patients had a history of tuberculosis treatment, and roughly 9% of participants experienced invasive fungal infections, mainly cryptococcosis, taralomycosis, and Pneumocystic jirovecii pneumonia. History of sexually transmitted diseases accounted for 40.4%. At the time of DTG transition, roughly 93% of patients were clinically stable, with a median CD4 count of 603 cells/µl. Two-thirds of HIV-infected patients achieved viral suppression (HIV viral load threshold < 20 copies/ml). A total of thirteen (3.2%) patients were ongoingly undertaking protease-inhibitors-based second-line ART regimens. The ART adherence was assessed at 92.1%. The prevalence of HIV-associated co-infections is still high in the context of DTG transition in Vietnam. More effort is needed in order to achieve the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets.

Exports with equity? Land, income, and agrarian transition in Vietnam

ABSTRACT This paper uses survey data from the Mekong River Delta region of Vietnam to explore the equity implications of export-oriented agrarian transitions in two communities, one engaged in intensive rice agriculture and the other shrimp farming. The data show that shrimp aquaculture has brought greater inequality in the distribution of land, while generating more employment and economic opportunity and creating a more equitable distribution of income than rice farming. This study suggests that processes of agrarian transition can shape social relations around land and labour in divergent ways, due to differences in the nature of export commodities and their production.

Urbanization and land use change: A study in Vietnam

Abstract Land-use change is a human process aimed at transforming the natural landscape and emphasizing the role and function of land for socio-economic activities. However, we do not know how the land transition in Vietnam has been proceeding recently. Thus, this article aims to examine the current urbanization process of land conversion in Vietnam. To explore the current situation and recent change of land use, the author analyzed standardized databases and maps from reports of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Vietnam (MoNRE), the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO), and the land cover map of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Research results show that the land transition in Vietnam has been similar to the world trend. The highest land conversion rate occurs in the North Central and Central Coast regions, but conversion of agricultural land for urbanization is mainly in the Red River Delta and Southeast. The study also noted some negative socio-economic impacts of land conversion on the lives of suburban residents.

Toward a sustainable food system and agroecology transition in Vietnam

Even with the impressive results of agricultural growth and food security during last nearly 40 years of Renovation, the Vietnam Socio-economic Development Strategy for 2021-2030 seeks to accelerate agricultural restructuring and develop a modernity-oriented agriculture. Vietnam also aims to improve the resilience and adaptability of the agricultural sector against climate change, and to align this sector with the processing industry, markets, export activities, and global value chains. In 2021, Vietnam has actively contributed to United Nations Food System Summit (UNFSS) dialogue with more than 1000 participants involved in National Dialogues. Vietnam is willing to contribute to the transformation of global food systems as a food-providing country that upholds “transparency, responsibility, and sustainability”. This will serve to create comprehensive and sustainable breakthroughs for the entire system and will fulfill the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For the solution, Vietnam wishes to become a Food Innovation Hub of Asia. Vietnam has made digital transformation a key priority in the agricultural sector and has encouraged the application of digital technology to agricultural production and business activities. Vietnam’s food systems need to be transformed into green, sustainable, and low-emission agriculture and due attention should be given to agroecological production. Vietnam also commits to achieving nutrition security in 2030. A National Action Plan for a sustainable food system will be built.

Exploring the Sustainability of Resource Flow and Productivity Transition in Vietnam from 1978 to 2017: MFA and DEA-Based Malmquist Productivity Index Approach

Resource efficiency is a primary policy goal in many developing countries that are resources suppliers. This study performed a first try to explore the resource productivity and efficiency of an emerging world factory, Vietnam, by applying an improved economy-wide material flow analysis (MFA) integrated with a data envelopment analysis (DEA)-based Malmquist productivity index approach (MDEA). Resource flows from 1978 to 2017, and the corresponding utilization efficiency considering the unexpected environmental outputs, as well as productivity were explored in depth. The results highlighted a positive correlation between rapid growth among domestic material consumption (DMC), GDP per capita, and material intensity (DMC/capita) in Vietnam during the last four decades. Meanwhile, the resource productivity (USD/DMC) increased from 82.4 USD/ton to 125 USD/ton (2017), presenting a much slower pace than that of Japan and China. The IPAT-based decomposition analysis highlighted the contribution of rising affluence (94%) and population (21%) to the rapid growing DMC, while the technology factor (DMC/GDP) needed to be further enhanced. Finally, the total factor productivity, when comparing between Vietnam, China, South Korea, and Japan, showed that, on the one hand, the Vietnamese economy has strongly been changed in a positive direction with EFFCH 1.061 and TECHCH 1.046 during the last four decades. One the other hand, Vietnam is still material intensive and has low material productivity. Our analytical results recommend Vietnam to strengthen technology innovation and aim for efficiency enhancement through closely coordinated policies on sustainable resource consumption, carbon reduction, and economic growth, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 (SDGs 2030).

Nutrition transition in Vietnam: changing food supply, food prices, household expenditure, diet and nutrition outcomes

While literature has noted the presence of a nutrition transition in terms of changing nutrition outcomes in Vietnam, very limited evidence linking changes in upstream food system factors to downstream diet and nutrition changes exists. Combining available data from different sources and analyzing it through a conceptual food systems framework, our study examines different pathways of nutrition transition through food supply, food prices, household food expenditures, diets, and nutrition outcomes in Vietnam. Our findings show that while Vietnam is at the start of its nutrition transition, change is happening rapidly. Undernutrition is falling, obesity is rising, and nutrition-related chronic diseases account for a significant burden of diseases and death. In terms of changes in healthful foods, the supply of vegetables and fruits is plentiful, and expenditure on vegetables remains consistent and small. Notably however, vegetable consumption has dropped, and increasing meat and milk consumption have been double-edged swords for nutrition. In terms of foods associated with the negative sides of the nutrition transition, the availability of sweets and sweetened beverages has risen in recent years, with oils and fats rising less. The expenditure share on food eaten away from home, in many contexts a marker for less healthful diets, has increased over time. While these changes are typical of a nutrition transition, Vietnam is also somewhat of an outlier in some respects: wet markets and daily fresh food purchases continue to dominate food purchasing behaviour, and food eaten away from home means a different thing in a country renowned for its diverse and healthy street food and roadside restaurant culture. While this study brings together important data on the food system drivers of a nutrition transition in Vietnam, it cannot link each of these issues into a standard statistical model of change due to data gaps at different levels, calling for data collection improvement in future diet and food systems research. Vietnamese health policy explicitly acknowledges nutrition transition issues, with targets for obesity reduction. This work on the food system drivers of the nutrition transition points to the need to further adapt policy in other sectors beyond health, however. At the same time as making nutrient-rich foods more accessible, nutrient-poor or ultra-processed foods need to be made less accessible and desirable if additional income is to contribute to a healthy diet in limiting Vietnam’s emerging nutrition transition.

The Model of Population Transition in Vietnam in Relation to Europe and Asia: A Quantitative Approach

This paper analyses the population transition model for Vietnam, based on Grover’s five stages of population transition. Compatible with the transitional model of Western Europe and other advanced Asian countries, this process in Vietnam has some significant differences: (a) the initial shift or transition of fertility of the population in Vietnam is later than in Asian countries by about 13 years while compared to Europe it is nearly 108 years later; and (b) while the period of initial transition of mortality in Vietnam may not be very different from other Asian countries, it is more than 100 years later than in European countries, especially those in Western Europe. One of the main factors influencing the late transition of Vietnam’s population process is, of course, colonialism and the consecutive wars (1945–1954 and 1955–1975). After 1975, Vietnam’s population was stable as industrialisation and urbanisation led to the development of health services, education and an urban lifestyle, as well as effective population policies.

Vietnam’s forest cover changes 2005–2016: Veering from transition to (yet more) transaction?

• Notions of ‘forest transition in Vietnam’ imply a long-term trend towards a stable forest cover. • New forest policies in Vietnam largely concentrate on fostering economic productivity. • Renewed deforestation has been linked to policy-driven decreases in ‘protection forestlands’. • Until now, ‘payment for forest ecosystem service’ policies had no visible effect to counter forest loss. • Aspects of ‘good governance’ are important for a ‘sustainable transition’ in forestry. In Vietnam, rapid deforestation until the 1980s was followed by a period of widespread reforestation. Acclaimed as the first ‘forest transition’ in Southeast Asia, this turn-around resulted from major environmental/socio-economic policy changes (notably land titling), successes in agriculture and plantation forestry, and state-led efforts in upland forest protection/restoration. We investigated forest trends after new shifts in forest governance towards more commodity/production orientation, underlining that recent advances are not irreversible. Using official provincial data and applying multivariate statistics, we elicited major factors influencing cover changes of two types of ‘physical forests’ (‘natural forests’ and exotic-species ‘planted forests’), in relation with changes in ‘political forestlands’ of contrasting types (lands designated either for forest ‘protection’ or for wood ‘production’), comparing periods before (2005–2010) and after (2011–2016) the introduction of Payments for Forest Ecosystem Services (PFES) policies. We find that a ‘forest transition’ only continues if the tree plantation boom (now reaching remote/marginal/poor upland provinces) is factored into ‘forest change’. Country-wide natural forest cover decreased slightly since 2006, with however regionally differentiated trends (northern increases versus southern losses, renewed deforestation near population centres). Widespread re-allocation of protection forestlands to production allowed expansion of plantations. Natural forests decreased in provinces where protection forestlands were reduced, and/or where – during 2011–2016 – plantation forests and crop fields expanded. PFES policies exerted minor influences (none to negative) on natural forest cover. PFES funding concentrated on provinces where protection forestlands contracted, and where forestland allocation to households was comparatively undeveloped. Conversely, ‘good governance’ indicators were positively correlated with sustained protection of natural forestlands. We conclude that governance emphasis on forest protection/restoration during the 1990s-2000s [‘transition’] has reverted towards a primacy of forests as spaces of economic production [‘transaction’]. Policy schemes aimed at forest protection and poverty reduction need to incorporate efficient and transparent mechanisms of participation, monitoring, and adaptive management.

Institutional and economic transition in Vietnam: Analysing the heterogeneity in firms’ perceptions of business environment constraints

Vietnam has experienced a gradual process of institutional transition combined with rapid economic growth since the Doi Moi reform in 1986. In recent years, the government has recognized the need to implement reforms to foster the development of favourable business environment conditions. In this scenario, however, the government seems to assume a uniform demand for business environment reforms, ignoring possible divergences in the constraints faced by different actors of the system. The aim of this paper is to analyse the heterogeneity in firms’ perceptions of business environment constraints. Adopting discrete choice models on firm-level data and subjective assessments on business environment obstacles, we differentiate the nature and severity of firms’ obstacles according to different characteristics of the enterprises, including the firm size, territorial localization and levels of performance and competitiveness. The study is useful as an informative base for defining public interventions calibrated on the different categories and needs of Vietnamese enterprises.

Implementation of Health Policy on Establishment of Provincial Center of Diseases Control (CDC) in Vietnam.

PurposeThere is increasing interest in the understanding of key influences over successful implementation of health policies within ever-changing contexts of national health systems. The epidemiological transition in Vietnam, combined with an urgent need for improving efficiency of the national health system under the government’s administrative reforms, form important facilitators of restructuring the public health system. This paper explored the implementation processes of policy on establishment of the Centers for Diseases Control (CDC) in Vietnam during 2016–2019.MethodsThe study employed a cross-sectional and mixed methods design. Staff surveys were collected at 55 out of 63 provinces and in-depth interviews, focus groups were conducted in three purposefully selected provinces. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The innovation implementation framework guided the study.ResultsAfter 3 years of introduction, 82.5% of provinces had established the CDCs. Implementation of CDC establishment policy was influenced by 1) management support; 2) alignment between policy and practice; 3) values towards CDC,; and 4) implementation climate. Other external key influencers included political, social, and cultural factors.ConclusionOur study provides a framework and evidence to guide future inquiry into the factors that affect the relationship between policy implementation and other contextual factors in healthcare organizations.

The patient voice: a survey of worries and anxieties during health system transition in HIV services in Vietnam

BackgroundVietnam is shifting toward integrating HIV services into the public health system using social health insurance (SHI), and the HIV service delivery system is becoming decentralized. The study aim was to investigate current SHI coverage and patients’ perspectives on this transition.MethodsA survey of 1348 HIV-positive patients on antiretroviral therapy (aged ≥18 years) was conducted at an HIV outpatient clinic at a central-level hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam, in October and November 2018. Insurance coverage, reasons for not having a SHI card, perceived concerns about receiving HIV services in SHI-registered local health facilities, and willingness to continue regularly visiting the current hospital were self-reported. Logistic regression analyses were performed to analyze factors associated with not having a SHI card and having concerns about receiving HIV services in SHI-registered hospitals/clinics.ResultsSHI coverage was 78.0%. The most frequently reported reason for not having a SHI card was that obtaining one was burdensome, followed by lack of information on how to obtain a card, and financial problems. Most patients (86.6%) had concerns about receiving HIV services at SHI-registered local health facilities, and disclosure of HIV status to neighbors and low quality of HIV services were the main concerns reported. Participants aged < 40 years old and unmarried were more likely to report lack of SHI cards, and women and those aged ≥40 years were more likely to have concerns. However, 91.4% of patients showed willingness to continue regular visits to the current hospital.ConclusionsAlthough SHI coverage has been rapidly improving among HIV patients, most participants had concerns about the current system transition in Vietnam. In response to their voiced concerns, strengthening the link between higher-level and lower-level facilities may help to ensure good quality HIV services at all levels while mitigating patients’ worries and anxieties.

The Neolithic transition in Vietnam: Assessing evidence for early pig management and domesticated dog

The onset of Neolithic food-producing cultures during the Mid Holocene in Southeast Asia (SEA) constituted major social and demographic change. In northern Vietnam, the Late Holocene site of Man Bac has been argued to capture this shift in population and material culture. This paper provides an updated faunal record of Man Bac and assesses the evidence for dog domestication and pig management at the site. Using a mixed method approach combining morphometric analyses, cluster analysis, mortality profiles, and body part representation, dogs are confidentially determined to be domesticated, and pigs are argued to represent an early management strategy. Direct 14C dating on select pig and dog elements provide the current earliest date for these domesticated animals in northern Vietnam and reflects the early expansion of farming communities into Mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA).

Potentials and opportunities for low carbon energy transition in Vietnam: A policy analysis

This paper intends to synthesis the status quo and projected energy situation for Vietnam, as one of the fastest growing energy economies among the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Focus is drawn towards the existing policy landscape's ability to foster low carbon development progression as an alternative to the existing fossil fuel driven economy, while also aligning with achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the nation. Effectiveness of Vietnam's policy portfolio for fostering low carbon development was informed via a systematic literature review and Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). This was founded upon six developed criteria, informed from the literature review. The results were presented and analyzed via chronological and hierarchical policy taxonomies. Findings indicate that to support a pathway towards low carbon development, policies need to include mechanisms that favor Renewable Energy technology and also foster the mobilization of private investment or international cooperation. The research also indicates a significant connection between clean energy sector progression and achievement of relevant SDGs. Such a correlation should heighten the priority of energy sector actions, such as policy mechanisms and outcomes, not only quantitative targets.

Semi-Supervised Classification and Landscape Metrics for Mapping and Spatial Pattern Change Analysis of Tropical Forest Types in Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam

Research Highlights: In this study, we classified natural forest into four forest types using time-series multi-source remotely sensed data through a proposed semi-supervised model developed and validated for mapping forest types and assessing forest transition in Vietnam. Background and Objectives: Data on current forest state and changes detection are always essential for forest management and planning. There is, therefore, a need for improved tools to classify and evaluate forest dynamics more accurately and effectively. Our objective is to develop such tools using a semi-supervised model and landscape metrics to classify and map changes in natural forest types by using multi-source remotely sensed data. Materials and Methods: A combination of Landsat data with PALSAR and PALSAR-2 was used for forest classification through the proposed semi-supervised model. This model turned a kernel least square into a self-learning algorithm, trained by a small number of samples with given labels, and then used this classifier to assign labels to the unlabeled data. The overall accuracy, kappa, user’s accuracy, and producer’s accuracy were used to evaluate the classification accuracy by comparing the classified image with the results of ground truth interpretation. Based on the classified images, forest transition was evaluated using certain landscape metrics at the class and landscape levels. Results: The multi-source data approach achieved improved discrimination of forest types compared to only using single data (optical or radar data). Good classification accuracies were obtained, with kappas of 0.81, 0.76, and 0.74 for the years 2007, 2010, and 2016, respectively. The analysis of landscape metrics indicated that there were different behaviors in the four forest types, as well as provided much information about the trends in spatial pattern changes. Conclusions: This study highlights the utilization of a semi-supervised model in forest classification, and the analysis of forest transition using landscape metrics. However, future research should include a comparison of different models to estimate the improvement of the proposed model. Another important study that should be conducted is to test the proposed method on larger areas.

Assessing the nonlinearity of the calorie-income relationship: An estimation strategy – With new insights on nutritional transition in Vietnam

Abstract Assessing the nonlinearity of the calorie-income relationship is a crucial issue when evaluating policies aimed at fighting against malnutrition. A natural choice would be to adopt a fully nonparametric specification of the relationship in order to let the data reveal its nonlinearity. But, we would be faced with the problem of the curse of dimensionality due to the presence of many control variables in addition to income. Here, we first propose to estimate generalized additive models where only income is supposed to enter nonlinearly in the specification. Second, we use a recent cross-validation procedure in order to choose among various competing specifications including the parametric double-log specification widely used in the literature in addition to GAM specifications. This methodology is implemented for each of the six waves of the Vietnam Household Living Standard Survey from 2004 to 2014. The calorie-income relationship is nonlinear whatever the wave. A strong response of calorie intake to an increase in income for poorest households is highlighted, showing that there is still room for income-based policies to fight against malnutrition. A byproduct of this methodology is the decomposition of the evolution of average calorie intake between the two waves in the part due to population change and that coming from the change in calorie-income relationship, shedding new light on the nutritional transition in Vietnam.

Perceptions of nutrition transition problems: a qualitative study of Vietnamese health and education professionals

The nutrition transition (The transition towards higher levels of economic development in developing countries brings with it several other transitions: demographic [rural to urban, younger to older population distribution], technological [low to high mechanisation and motorisation] and nutritional and epidemiological [infectious diseases to NCDs]. The nutrition transition relates to a large shift in a population’s dietary and activity patterns, which are characterised by less physically active lifestyles and increased consumption of processed and energy-dense foods [and fewer traditional foods and cuisines]. These changes are reflected in nutritional and health outcomes, especially the rapid increases in levels of obesity and non-communicable diseases in many low- and middle-income countries’ populations.) presents critical challenges for population health in low- and middle-income countries. The implementation of health policies and programmes to mitigate the negative effects of the nutrition transition requires the engagement of schools and health service institutions in addition to government nutrition organisations to enhance awareness about health risks in the broad community. University education is the foundation for later professional practice. However, insufficient preparation of lecturers and outdated and static curricula have been claimed to contribute to the poor preparation of health and education graduates to respond nutrition transition. Thirty interviews were conducted to examine health and education professionals’ and nutrition lecturers’ perceptions of the nutrition transition in Vietnam and its drivers. The informants correctly understood the impact of the nutrition transition on their clients and the population, and their perceptions of the underlying drivers of these health conditions were identified. The education professionals claimed that it is easier to control undernutrition than to manage obesity and stressed the urgent need for programmes to control obesity. Economic improvement was viewed as a core driver contributing to the rise in the prevalence of obesity and chronic diseases. Family influences were perceived to be responsible for children’s poor eating patterns and obesity. Environmental influences were claimed to hasten the changes, including poor food safety, aggressive food marketing and the attractiveness of ‘new’ (Western) food in an emerging market economy. These findings suggest the need for more education for health and education professionals to respond to the nutrition transition.