Payment for forest ecosystem services (PFES) policy is a prevalent strategy designed to establish a marketplace where users compensate providers for forest ecosystem services. This research endeavours to scrutinise the impact of PFES on households’ perceptions of forest values and their behaviour towards forest conservation, in conjunction with their socio-economic circumstances and their communal involvement in forest management. By incorporating the social-ecological system framework and the theory of human behaviours in environmental conservation, this study employs a structural equations model to analyse the factors influencing individuals’ perceptions and behaviours towards forest conservation. The findings indicate that the payment of PFES significantly increases forest protection behaviour at the household level and has achieved partial success in activating community mechanisms to guide human behaviour towards forest conservation. Furthermore, it has effectively leveraged the role of state-led social organisations to alter local individuals’ perceptions and behaviours towards forest protection.

Vietnam’s economic evolution presents a compelling case of transformative growth driven by its distinctive historical, cultural, and policy landscapes. Since the watershed Đổi Mới reforms of 1986, the country has navigated the complexities of market liberalization, socialist principles, and international integration, achieving remarkable development while preserving its economic sovereignty. Through a mixed-methods approach, this study delves into the impacts of Đổi Mới, assessing the successes and ongoing challenges in Vietnam’s economic restructuring. Results indicate a remarkable shift in GDP contribution from agriculture to industry and services, with a burgeoning private sector and enhanced international trade and investment. However, challenges in achieving equitable growth, inclusive development, and environmental sustainability remain salient amid global economic shifts. Vietnam’s experience underscores the critical need for targeted reforms in workforce development, economic diversity, infrastructural enhancement, environmental stewardship, and regulatory and financial governance. Vietnam’s proactive stance on economic autonomy and global participation highlights the importance of a nuanced approach in navigating the changing international landscape. In summary, Vietnam’s journey through economic structural reform provides a unique perspective on navigating development within a socialist-oriented market framework, serving as a distinctive exemplar for similar emerging economies contending with the vibrant currents of globalization.

The study evaluates to what extent logistics performance and its components impact Vietnam’s bilateral export value. The augmented Gravity model is applied on panel data in the period from 2010 to 2018. Logistics efficiency is measured by Logistic performance index (LPI) and its sub-indices developed by the World Bank. A variety of diagnostic tests and estimation methods are employed to ensure the stability of the results. The main findings confirm that all explanatory variables demonstrate the expected signs, and aggregate logistics performance and its sub-indices have positive impacts on Vietnam’s export flows, with the magnitude of logistics impacts is greater than other factors in the research model. Among LPI components of Vietnam, Ease of arranging shipments index is the most influential factor on exports, followed by Infrastructure, Timeliness, and Quality of logistics services. These export’s effects are also identified by partners’ LPI indicators namely Quality of logistics services, Customs, Infrastructure, and Tracking and tracing.

This study’s primary objective is to determine the financial repercussions, including expenses, profits, and losses, that certain stakeholders in the Tuong-mango value chain face at various distribution stages. This was achieved through the utilisation of stakeholders cost-benefit value chain analysis. These individuals collectively contributed 849 sample observations to the dataset including 732 farmers, 10 cooperative, 32 collectors, 25 wholesalers, 30 retailers, 12 exporters and processors, and 08 grocery stores/fruit. The robust financial performance of the Tuong-mango value chain is attributable to its integrated economic efficiency, as evidenced by its over USD 1 billion in revenue and USD 98.2 million in net income. The marketing channels, specifically channels 1, 2, and 3, generate a total of USD 906.1 million in revenue, yielding a net profit of USD 81.9 million. The combined sales from domestic marketing channels 4 and 5 total USD 160 million, yielding a net profit of USD 16.2 million. The findings indicate that due to their limited scope and suboptimal grade 1, farmers are the most vulnerable link in the supply chain. This study proposes three strategies for augmenting quality, fostering technological advancement, and facilitating the spread of benefits. This study’s findings contribute to the existing literature on value chain analysis as it pertains to various tropical fruits and vegetables. The study provides empirical evidence supporting the utility of the value chain method in policy formulation.

Agriculture is an industry that plays an essential role in economic development towards eliminating poverty issues, but foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to this sector remain modest in Vietnam. This study analyzed the determinants of foreign direct investment in the agricultural sector into the Southern Key Economic Zone (KEZ) of Vietnam, which is considered the foreign direct investment magnet of Vietnam, but its FDI inflows into the agricultural sector have been consistently low, and has shown a downward trend in recent years. The study was based on a sample of 129 foreign investors of a total of 164 multinational enterprises (MNEs) in the agricultural sector, including representatives of the Board of Directors and representatives at the department level. The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach was used to test the hypotheses. Findings indicated that FDI attraction policies have the strongest impact on FDI inflows. This was followed by infrastructure, regional agriculture policies, public service quality, natural conditions, and human resources. This study suggests policy recommendations to improve foreign direct investment inflows into the agricultural sector of the Southern Key Economic Zone (KEZ) of Vietnam.

Transitioning to a green economy is a global concern, considered a pathway to sustainable development. This paper aims to investigate the effect of the transition into a green economy on Vietnam’s sustainable development and its two economic and environmental dimensions, with consideration of several essential issues including renewable energy, technological innovation, natural resource rents (oils, forest, and minerals), foreign direct investment, and trade. This paper utilizes data from 1996 to 2020 and then applies the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) method for analysis. The results conclude that renewable energy is a driving key to reducing environmental degradation, but it hampers economic growth, while the contrast occurs with technology. Our results emphasize the dependence on non-renewable energy, whereas the innovation of technology does not show a green orientation in Vietnam. Furthermore, there is a lack of sustainability in the effect of natural resource rents, foreign direct investment, and trade. Overall, the transition into a green economy in Vietnam does not illustrate the sustainable orientation. The findings of this research provide empirical evidence to clarify the relationship between this transition and its driving factor, with sustainable development and the two economic environment dimensions. In addition, this study will bring worthwhile implications for the policymakers and scholars on whether the transition to a green economy fulfills the orientation towards sustainability, then enhancing the economy's efficiency to achieve green growth, following the pathway to sustainable development.