Because of the rapid socio-economic development, urbanization and industrialization,
Vietnam’s environment has come under intense pressure, in particular the traditional water
resources for rural and urban inhabitants. Domestic and industrial demand for water is
vastly increasing, while industrial, agricultural and domestic waste pollutes water sources.
At the same time, uncontrolled urbanization has greatly magnified the problems with the
solid waste management systems, pushing waste management to the forefront of
Vietnam’s environmental challenges. Not only has there been an increase in the amounts
of waste generated, but also the composition of the waste has changed. At present, solid
waste collection rates are still very low and the current system is under great strain, due to
lack of institutional capacity and insufficient human and capital resources