ABSTRACT
In most of the dynamic developing countries of the South-East Asian region it was not until the 1980s that the ecological implications of rapid growth were recognized and the first policy adjustments were initiated to introduce sustainable development processes. The principle that preventive measures, and especially the use of eco-efficient technologies, are far cheaper than the later repair of environmental damage is particularly true of industrial pollution. International experience shows that a substantial proportion of industrial pollution can be avoided at a relatively minor increase in capital and production costs. The causes of deforestation are varied and differ from one region to another. Domestic and industrial effluent is discharged into the rivers untreated, the proportion of industrial effluent steadily growing. The effects of the policy of economic reform on the environment have so far been mixed. Probably the most difficult environmental tasks for the Vietnamese government are related to industrialization and the urbanization associated with it.
