Highlands Of Vietnam Research Articles

Chemical Composition, Anti-microbial, and Cytotoxic Activities of Essential Oil from Magnolia bidoupensis Q. N. Vu leaves, an Endemic Species to the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

An analysis was conducted on the essential oil extracted from the leaves of Magnolia bidoupensis utilizing GC-MS, revealing thirty-three constituents that account for 98.9% of the essential oil. The main components included pogostol (22.4%), δ-selinene (16.2%), and α-amorphene (14.7%). Bioassays were then performed to evaluate the oil's biological activity. The essential oil exhibited antimicrobial activity against all tested microorganisms (six bacterial strains and one fungal strain) using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. Additional cytotoxicity tests were conducted on KB, HepG2, MCF-7, and A549 cancer cell lines using the MTT method. The essential oil exhibited strong cytotoxic effects on all four cell lines, with IC50 values ranging from 1.37 ± 0.05 μg/mL (KB) to 2.40 ± 0.06 μg/mL (A549).

Determinants of household livelihood diversification in the uplands: The case of cassava production areas in central highlands of Vietnam

ABSTRACT The livelihoods of upland communities in Vietnam are rapidly transforming due to socio-economic and environmental changes. As a result, livelihood diversification has emerged as an adaptive strategy to these pressures, while agricultural commercialization demands greater production specialization. This study explored livelihood and crop diversification in the central highlands using survey data from 364 households and 22 in-depth interviews. The Simpson Diversity Index and Herfindahl-Hirschman Indexe were used to measure diversification levels, and regression analysis identified key determinants. Findings revealed moderate-low livelihood diversification toward non-farm activities and moderate-high crop diversification, with a trend toward industrial cassava specialization. Household-head age, education, perception of climate risks, and transportation accessibility were key factors influencing livelihood diversification. The study recommends policies to enhance young laborers’ capacity in agriculture and promote the development of non-farm livelihood activities, leveraging local resources for sustainable upland development.

A modification of normalized difference drought index to enhance drought assessment using remotely sensed imagery.

Drought is one of the common natural disasters with a wide range of occurrences in terms of space and time, and with varying levels of severity, that may result in economic damage and health issues to humans. This study focuses on assessing drought severity in the Central Highlands of Vietnam based on ground meteorological stations and multispectral remote sensing data. A Modification of the Normalized Difference Drought Index (MNDDI) was developed to enhance the effectiveness of remote sensing indices in the drought assessment. Results indicate that MNDDI outperforms Normalized Difference Drought Index and other investigated indicators, such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Latent Heat Index, and Normalized Difference Water Index, in representing the Earth's surface response to drought events. Correlations ranging from 0.85 to 0.63 were identified between MNDDI and various time scales of the commonly used meteorological drought indicator, namely the Standardized Precipitation Index, during the drought year of 2015. This work also reveals the superiority of MNDDI in portraying the response of land cover types to drought situations. The finding of a severe drought phenomenon in critical agricultural zones is highly consistent with the report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam. This study contributes valuable insights to the preliminary assessment of drought through remote sensing data, offering a foundation for precise drought outlooks and effective risk management strategies.

The impacts of climate change on meteorological drought in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam

ABSTRACT This study aimed to analyse the characteristics of drought under the impacts of climate change in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The standardized precipitation indices at 3-, 6-, 9- and 12-month time scales were calculated based on the average monthly precipitation at 11 meteorological stations between 1985–2014. The drought characteristics were analysed based on the modified Mann-Kendall test, Theil-Sen methods and the theory of runs. Analysing the impact of climate change on drought events, four CMIP6 GCM models, namely, CNRM-CM6-1-HR, MRI-ESM2-0, BCC-CSM2-MR and MIROC6, under the SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios were used to obtain the average monthly precipitation for the period 2031-2060 to compute the SPI3, SPI6, SPI9 and SPI12. The results indicate that the drought frequency under the SSP5-8.5 scenario ranges from moderate to severe. The BCC-CSM2-MR, CNRM-CM6-1-HR and MIROC6 models showed an increase in drought frequency from 2 to 4% for SPI3 and SPI6 and from 4 to 6% for SPI9 and SPI12. Under the SSP2-4.5 scenario, the frequency of severe droughts also increases by 2-4% compared with that in the 1985-2014 baseline periods for SPI6, SPI9 and SPI12. Consequently, moderate to severe drought episodes are predicted to occur more frequently in the research area.

Biomarker reconstructions of temperature and hydroclimate variability in Vietnam during Marine Isotope Stage 3

Limited hydrological data coupled with a reliance on the monsoon rains for agriculture make Southeast (SE) Asia vulnerable to climate change. To develop a better understanding of how SE Asia responds to climatic forcings, we provide a paleoclimate perspective by reconstructing temperature and hydroclimate from a wetland outcrop in the Central Highlands of Vietnam (CHV) during Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3). Mean annual atmospheric temperatures inferred from brGDGTs (branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers) indicate an increase from 23 to 26 °C between ∼54 and 37 cal ka BP, which follows an increase in mean annual insolation at the latitude of the site. δDwax data show a shift from a greater proportion of summer monsoon rain derived from the Bay of Bengal between 54 and 49 cal ka BP toward more autumn rain from the South China Sea (also known as the Vietnam East Sea) for most of the rest of the record. brGDGT-inferred soil pH suggests that the climate was wetter at 54 to 49 cal ka BP, then became drier, then returned to wet conditions approaching 37 cal ka BP. Both orbital forcing and changes in the exposure of the Sunda Shelf likely influenced hydroclimate in the CHV. δ13Cwax indicates that C4 plants dominate the vegetation cover during MIS 3. Comparison between our new record from the CHV with existing water isotope proxy records reveals coherent changes with nearby speleothem data, but regional differences between the history of hydroclimate in SE Asia and in the central Indian Monsoon domain. As a snapshot of glacial climate conditions, our data provide new information on the past drivers of climate in an understudied region.

Evaluating the spatiotemporal variation of Ba River water quality in the agricultural and urban watershed in the highland of Vietnam.

The Ba River in Vietnam has been facing pollution due to waste generation from agricultural and urban areas. This study focuses on evaluating the spatiotemporal variations in river water quality based on physicochemical characteristics and pesticide parameters for different seasons in 2022-2023. The results indicate that the concentrations of most parameters in the rainy season were higher than those in the early-dry and dry seasons due to the non-point sources in agricultural areas. Notably, the analysis of pesticide residue in both the rainy and dry seasons revealed low levels of chlorpyrifos (ethyl), and deltamethrin was detected in the only rainy season. The results from the hierarchical cluster analysis and water quality index show that the water quality at Ben Mong, An Khe, and Ba River Bridges was classified as moderately to highly polluted. These areas should focus on regular water quality monitoring and appropriate pollution source management. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Agriculture activities strongly affected the water quality of the Highland Ba River of Vietnam. Chlorpyrifos and deltamethrin pesticides (0.0074-0.0218 μg/L) were detected in Ba River. Non-point pollution sources significantly influenced water quality in the Ba River. Variations in river water quality mainly depend on seasons and locations. Water quality index values in rainy seasons (26-88) are lower than that in dry season (37-92).

Therapeutic efficacy of pyronaridine-artesunate (Pyramax) in treating Plasmodium vivax malaria in the central highlands of Vietnam.

This study is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry as ACTRN12618001429246.

Prevalence and Predictors of Quality of Ethnic Minority Human Resources in the Central Highlands of Vietnam

This study investigates the prevalence and predictors of ethnic minority human resource (HR) quality in Vietnam’s Central Highlands through a community-based cross-sectional survey across five provinces. The study assessed ten factors: “Overall Quality” (knowledge-KNO, attitude-ATT, skills-SKI, physical strength-PHY) and “Supporting Policies and Conditions” (utilization policy-USA, training and development-TRA, remuneration-REM, standard of living-EAR, working conditions-CON, culture-CUL). Significant relationships were found among the all factors of the group “Supporting Policies and Conditions” (p<0.001 all). Moreover, five factors (USA, TRA, EAR, CON, CUL) with demographic factors such as ethnicity, education, management experience, and years of work showed significant impacts the quality of ethnic minority HR (p<0.05 all). These results highlight the importance of comprehensive policies and targeted training programs to improve the overall quality of ethnic minority human resources, providing valuable insights for policymakers to enhance socio-economic development in Vietnam’s ethnic minority communities.

Integrated life cycle assessment with the ReSOLVE framework for environmental impacts mitigation in mushroom growing: The case in Lam Dong province, Vietnam

In recent decades, cleaner production has received increasing attention since it can contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including poverty reduction, sustainable consumption and production, and climate change mitigation. This study aims to use the Life Cycle Assessment-ReSOLVE method to find and quantify the main environmental impacts that happen along the production chain. It will also look at how each production stage contributes to these effects and then discuss ways to fix these problems using the circular economy approach and the ReSOLVE framework in the case study. Although this study used a mushroom-growing facility in the Central Highlands of Vietnam as a case study, the approach can be applied to other industries and countries worldwide. The LCA helped identify environmental hotspots, which were areas with significant environmental impact. The data on these hotspots were used to evaluate the ReSOLVE framework to determine appropriate circular practices for improving mushroom cultivation's environmental impacts. The results showed that electricity consumption and plastic baskets are the primary hotspots for environmental impacts, especially greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions while growing shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes) were 2.38 kg CO2e/kg mushroom, of which energy use contributes to 72.87% of the emissions. The evaluation findings obtained from the ReSOLVE framework indicate that the facility is now implementing 17 out of 42 circular practices. The facility significantly prioritizes process optimization, implementing eight practices, and places a strong emphasis on regeneration, implementing five practices. According to the study's findings, practitioners should adopt this approach to support businesses in achieving sustainable development. Practitioners should tailor the circular practices in the ReSOLVE framework to the industry in which they evaluate and implement the suggested circular economy solutions to assess the effectiveness of using both the ReSOLVE framework and CE solutions. Moreover, this study only focused on a mushroom facility as a case study. Consequently, we want to enhance the methodology and extend this approach to other sectors in future research.

Predicting drought stress under climate change in the Southern Central Highlands of Vietnam.

In the Southern Central Highlands of Vietnam, droughts occur more frequently, causing significant damage and impacting the region's socio-economic development. During the dry season, rivers, streams, and reservoirs often face limited water availability, exacerbated in recent years by increasing drought severity. Recognizing the escalating severity of droughts, the study offers a novel contribution by conducting a comprehensive analysis of surface water resource distribution in Lam Dong province, focusing on assessing water demand for agricultural production, a crucial factor in ensuring sustainable crop growth. Two scenarios, Current-2020 (SC1) and Climate Change-2025 (SC2), are simulated, with SC2 based on climate change and sea level rise scenarios provided by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE). These scenarios are integrated into the MIKE-NAM and MIKE-HYDRO basin models, allowing for a thorough assessment of the water balance of Lam Dong province. Furthermore, the study utilizes the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) to measure drought severity, revealing prevalent dry and moderately droughty conditions in highland districts with rainfall frequency ranging from 50 to 85%. Severe drought conditions occur with a rainfall frequency of 95%, indicating an increased frequency and geographic scope of severe droughts. Additionally, the study highlights that under abnormally dry conditions, water demand for the winter-spring crop is consistently met at 100%, decreasing to 85%, 80%, and less than 75% for moderate, severe, and extreme droughts, respectively. These findings offer insights into future drought conditions in the Lam Dong province and their potential impact on irrigation capacity, crucial for adaptation strategies.

Poverty among Indigenous Women in the Central Highlands of Vietnam: a Critical Analysis

Poverty characterizes the lives of indigenous women in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Due to a lack of opportunities and resources, indigenous women become more socially vulnerable. We argue that there is a reciprocal relationship between collective social change and the likelihood of ethnic minority women in the Central Highlands escaping poverty. The data presented in this paper was collected from our 2019 ministerial-level scientific research study on creating a poverty reduction model for indigenous women in the Central Highlands, based on a sustainable livelihood framework. Historically, change occurs when individuals are part of a collective. Our findings suggest that the motivation to escape poverty increases collective action through social work, a strategy to overcome poverty.

Impact of tree planting on household well-being: evidence from the central highlands of Vietnam

Household land use decisions in the tropics have a wide range of outcomes and impacts on economic development, environmental conservation, and social development. This study seeks to contribute to this debate by examining the effects of tree planting on poverty alleviation and welfare improvement in Vietnam. We employ a combination of multinomial endogenous treatment effect and propensity score matching, using survey data collected from 239 households in 11 communes in Vietnam’s Central Highlands region. We find that households engaged in tree planting can increase their income and alleviate poverty compared to non-engaging households. Specifically, long-term cashew plantations provide early harvests and have proven to be a preferred crop for households dealing with immediate livelihood needs. However, short-term acacia timber crops contribute insignificantly to poverty reduction and may be more suitable for households with greater financial resources. The policy implication underscores the importance of interventions tailored to support impoverished households with urgent livelihood needs. Prioritizing immediate necessities is crucial before households can invest in long-term tree planting.

DISTRIBUTION AND POTENTIAL OF <i>CAMELLIA</i> SPP. IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, VIETNAM, FOR DEVELOPING HIGH-VALUE PRODUCTS IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY

This article focuses on the potential use of yellow camellias in the food technology industry by analyzing and synthesizing information from previous publications. Many rare species of the genus Camellia have been discovered recently in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, including 10 new species discovered in Lam Dong Province between 2012 and 2016. These 10 species account for 55.55% of the 18 species growing naturally in the Central Highlands and demonstrate the diversity of Camellia in the region. The flowers range from light yellow to orange to deep yellow in color. The survival rate of cuttings is 72.24%–83.33%, and the rooting rate when seeds are sown approaches 100%. Yellow camellias do not contain caffeine. The main active ingredient is polyphenol, with a content of 5.22%–30.11% (mg GAE/100 g DW). Camellia extract does not cause acute toxicity and has a blood sugar-lowering effect. Vietnam has much experience growing green tea; the total green tea growing area is 131,200 hectares. The average annual yield is 6.90 tons of fresh leaves per hectare, and the current export market to 60 countries is the basis for expanding the yellow camellias growing area. The Central Highlands has great potential as a stable source of raw materials to create fermented beverages, tea powder, tea oil, and colorants.

Assessing forest cover changes in Dak Lak province (Central Highlands of Vietnam) from multi-temporal Landsat data and machine learning techniques

Dak Lak is a province in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam, with a large area of forests and forestry land. However, the forest cover has changed dramatically in recent times due to the influence of human activities and climate change. This article presents the results of assessing forest cover changes in Dak Lak province from Landsat satellite image data for the period 2000 – 2020. Three Landsat satellite image scenes, including Landsat 5 TM images taken in March 2000 and February 2010 and Landsat 8 OLI image taken in February 2020 are used to classify forest cover. Three common machine learning techniques, including Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Classification and Regression Tree (CART) and the traditional maximum likelihood classification algorithm are used to classify forest cover in the study area, thereby choosing the method with the highest accuracy. The results show that the RF algorithm has the highest accuracy in classifying forest cover from multi-temporal Landsat images by comparing the overall accuracy value and the Kappa coefficient. The obtained results are used to build forest cover change maps in the period 2000 - 2010, 2010 - 2020 and 2000 - 2020. The results received in the study provide information to help managers in monitoring and protecting forest resources.

Diatom-based indications of an environmental regime shift and droughts associated with seasonal monsoons during the Holocene in Biển Hồ maar lake, the Central Highlands, Vietnam

The interactions of the different monsoon systems across Southeast Asia create extreme climate phenomena. Central Vietnam, located near the centre of this transitional region, has encountered numerous effects. As a result, its sediments from lakes or speleothems are valuable archives for interpreting past climate variability. However, there is still a lack of high-resolution paleoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic reconstructions during the Holocene in Vietnam. Our study presents a paleoenvironmental diatom-based record of sediment cores collected from Biển Hồ maar lake (14°03′N, 108°00′E) in the Central Highlands of Vietnam covering nearly the entire Holocene. Based on changes in diatom assemblages in the sediment sequence, we identified two periods of the Early Holocene (~11,700–7800 cal BP) and the Mid- to Late-Holocene (~7800–360 cal BP), which mark a remarkable shift in the environment around Biển Hồ. Alternations of key diatom species during the Early Holocene indicate intensity variations between water-mixing and thermal stratification mechanisms in meso-eutrophic conditions. During the Mid- to Late-Holocene, the complete dominance of Aulacoseira granulata var. granulata implies year-round destratification and intense mixing of the lake water column in a permanently eutrophic environment. Its morphological variability reveals intervals of dry environmental conditions driven by pronounced droughts across the Asian continent.

Assessing LISFLOOD-FP with the next-generation digital elevation model FABDEM using household survey and remote sensing data in the Central Highlands of Vietnam

Abstract. Flooding is an endemic global challenge with annual damages totalling billions of dollars. Impacts are felt most acutely in low- and middle-income countries, where rapid demographic change is driving increased exposure. These areas also tend to lack high-precision hazard mapping data with which to better understand or manage risk. To address this information gap a number of global flood models have been developed in recent years. However, there is substantial uncertainty over the performance of these data products. Arguably the most important component of a global flood model is the digital elevation model (DEM), which must represent the terrain without surface artifacts such as forests and buildings. Here we develop and evaluate a next generation of global hydrodynamic flood model based on the recently released FABDEM DEM. We evaluate the model and compare it to a previous version using the MERIT DEM at three study sites in the Central Highlands of Vietnam using two independent validation data sets based on a household survey and remotely sensed observations of recent flooding. The global flood model based on FABDEM consistently outperformed a model based on MERIT, and the agreement between the model and remote sensing was greater than the agreement between the two validation data sets.

A cross-sectional study to quantify the prevalence of Toxocara canis in dogs in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

Toxocara canis is a globally distributed zoonotic parasite. The parasite has recently become a concern for public health in Vietnam. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify and quantify the risk factors associated with T. canis infection in dogs in Dak Lak province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The risk factors were identified using a mixed-effects logistic regression model and quantified using population attributable fractions. Examination of fecal samples collected from 1455 dogs using the sodium nitrate flotation technique showed 37.32% (95% CI: 34.83-39.86) of dogs infected with T. canis. The factors, including study location, multiple dogs living in a household, dog age, dog breed, and places keeping dogs were associated with a dog's likelihood of being T. canis infection. The household and individual dog levels contributed 17% and 82%, respectively, to the prevalence of T. canis in dogs. The adjusted population attributable fraction for confining dogs and raising an individual dog per household was 52% and 27%, respectively. The result of this study indicated that to minimize the burden of T. canis, intervention measures should target individual dogs and household levels.

Checklist of hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Bombycoidea: Sphingidae) in the Central Highlands of Vietnam

Study on hawkmoths (Sphingidae family) in the Central Highlands of Vietnam (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, and Lam Dong provinces) was carried out during the years 2016–2022. Light traps and butterfly nets were used to collect specimens of the Sphingidae family in the night and day times. An update checklist of Sphingidae was based on collected specimens in the studied area and combine the review data. Totally, 113 Sphingidae species from the Central Highlands of Vietnam are recorded. Among them, 78 species are recorded from collected specimens and 35 species without collected specimens are compiled from the literatures. Addition, 14 species are herein added to the known list, including one very rare species, Eurypteryx geoffreyi Cadiou & Kitching, 1990, and two endemic species, Griseosphinx marchandi Cadiou, 1996 and Callambulyx schintlmeisteri Brechlin, 1997.

Faithful Marriage - The Human Beauty of the Ede People in Buon Ma Thuot, Dak Lak Province, Vietnam

The Ede people are one of the long-standing ethnic groups in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Their unique cultural heritage is reflected in various architectural works, festivals, religious rituals, customs, and traditions. This article analyzes marital fidelity, a human and cultural value that continues to be present in the cultural life of the Ede people in Buon Ma Thuot, Dak Lak Province, Vietnam.

Factors affecting destination innovation and competitiveness at destinations in the central highlands, Vietnam

This study aims to determine the factors affecting both destination innovation and the competitiveness of the tourism destinations in the Central Highlands, Vietnam. This research used both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The qualitative research method was used through focus group interviews and one-on-one interviews in order to complete the research model and scales. In addition, SmartPLS software was used to analyse the reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the quantitative research method. The proposed hypotheses and research model were also examined via boostrapping with P-values ≤ 0.05. This study had a 210-expert survey of managers and experienced executives working in the tourism industry in the Central Highlands, Vietnam. The research findings showed four factors affecting competitiveness through innovation, which was a moderating factor among destinations in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, including Policies, Local specialties, Culture, and Natural environment. From these findings, some policy implications were proposed for destinations and tourism managers to develop and enhance destination innovation and competitiveness at destinations in the Central Highlands, Vietnam, through the improvement of Policies, Local specialties, Culture, and Natural environment. In addition, these implications also aim to realize sustainable tourism development for the region, which is one of the most potential tourism regions in Vietnam.