MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL INCIDENT IMPACTS ON LOCAL PEOPLE’S LIVELIHOODS: EVIDENCE FROM CENTRAL COASTAL PROVINCES OF VIETNAM

Abstract

The incident of environmental pollution in the central provinces of Vietnam in 2016 had a
strong impact on the livelihoods of people living in the Central coastal provinces. Some of the most
affected industries are the fisheries sector, followed by business, services, tourism and people's daily
life. The consequences were very heavy: hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs, lost their
income, a series of service activities stopped, and other consequences for a long time. According to
statistics, 263.000 people have been affected by the environmental incident in four central provinces
including Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue. After four years of the marine
environmental incident and the effects of climate change, many local people's lives are now relatively
stable and continue with other livelihood activities together. This research employed a convergent
parallel mixed method design. The study investigates employment needs for people residing in the
central coastal provinces of Vietnam in the coming years and provides a number of recommendations
for sustainable employment orientation for local people in the future.