Paradoxes in Adaptation: Economic Growth and Socio-Economic Differentiation. A Case Study of Mid-Central Vietnam

Abstract

This chapter will introduce the geographical conditions and economic characteristics of Central Vietnam. It proceeds to analyse the general economic development in the region, particularly since the introduction of economic reforms in the early 1990s. Both foreign investment and exports have risen dramatically, turning Vietnam into a major exporter of a range of agricultural and industrial products. Further, it shows how some of the paradoxes of development and globalization, such as high growth and simultaneous socio-economic differentiation, are also played out in the provinces of Central Vietnam. In a disaster prone region, the poor households are at risk of losing out when greater weather variability threatens agricultural and forestry production and increases overall economic losses. The rapid expansion of the hydropower generating capacity has stimulated economic development and thereby potentially enhanced social resilience, but at the same time has increased the ecological vulnerability and set in motion a range of processes not under control.