In Vietnam, the development of industrial park (IP) is indispensable to the industrialization and modernization. Nonetheless, the race to build IPs in Eastern South provinces has produced a lot of problems, especially environmental pollution which has been menacing the sustainable development of local IPs. Therefore, this paper is to shed light on the causes of pollution and recommend some solutions to the problem. | ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS & CLIMATE CHANGE IN VN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN INDUSTRIAL PARKS IN EASTERN SOUTH: FACT AND SUGGESTIONS by MEcon. NGUYEÃN QUOÁC NGHI* In Vietnam, the development of industrial park (IP) is indispensable to the industrialization and modernization. Nonetheless, the race to build IPs in Eastern South provinces has produced a lot of problems, especially environmental pollution which has been menacing the sustainable development of local IPs. Therefore, this paper is to shed light on the causes of pollution and recommend some solutions to the problem. Keywords: IP, pollution, sustainable development 1. Industrial parks in the Eastern South Industrial parks, in fact, have played a vital role in changes in the structure of industry, economic growth, job creation, improvement in personal income, and transfer of technologies. Therefore, Vietnam’s government thus far has tried its best to beef up the process of industrialization and modernization. Counting to May 2011, there have been totally 260 IPs, export processing zones (EPZs), and high-tech parks which occupy 71,394 hectares and are located in 57 provinces and cities. Of them, around 173 IPs with a total area of 43,718 hectares have been put into operation; the remainder are being basically constructed. 10 Economic Development Review – July 2011 The Eastern South Vietnam houses the largest number of IPs and is also a key economic zone, leading the country in export turnovers, foreign investments, gross output and many other social factors. This zone comprises five provinces (. Baø Ròa – Vuõng Taøu, Bình Döông, Bình Phöôùc, Ñoàng Nai, and Taây Ninh) and a city (HCMC). Counting to May 2011, there are 104 IPs in the zone and this number is on the onward trend. In 2010 alone, foreign investment in Eastern South reached US$2, million as compared to the US$5, million of foreign capital flowing to Vietnam. Provinces of the zone always go into the top ten in terms of .
