6. Urbanization. Viet Nam is undergoing one of the fastest urban transitions in the world. It is the main driving force for economic growth. Viet Nam is home to 85 million people, of which 27% live in urban areas. That number is expected to increase to 45%, or 46 million people, by 2020 and to 50% by 2030. Cities already account for 70% of gross national product. Aggregate population growth is not high, but people are moving rapidly to urban centers and leaving agriculture for industry and services (World Bank 2011a). Urbanization for residential dwellings and industrial expansion focuses on lowland areas that are optimal for high-value agricultural production. According to the Ministry of Labour Invalids and Social Affairs, Viet Nam was losing 73,300 hectares (ha) of cultivated land annually between 2001 and 2005 due to urbanization, affecting the lives of 2.5 million farmers.1