This publication presents the integration of a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in the revised Power Development Plan VII of Viet Nam. It demonstrates how incorporating an SEA into the planning process will produce plans that are based on a more thorough understanding of their implications for the economy, society, and environment of the country. Viet Nam's revised Power Development Plan VII is a model of good practice in integrating an SEA in the preparation of a strategic plan for the power sector of other countries, particularly in the Greater Mekong Subregion.

As climate change and urban development are closely interlinked and often interact negatively, this edited volume takes Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam’s first mega-urban region as a case study to analyse its vulnerability to climate change and to suggest measures towards a more sustainable urban development. The book offers an overview on land use planning regarding the aspects of urban flooding, urban climate, urban energy and urban mobility as well as spatial views from the angle of urban planning such as the metropolitan level, the city, the neighbourhood and building level. It shows that to a significant degree, measures dealing with climate change can be taken from the toolbox of sustainable urban development and reflects how institutional structures need to change to enhance chances for implementation given socio-cultural and economic constraints. This is merged and integrated into a holistic perspective of planning recommendations, supporting the municipal government to increase its adaptive capacity. The authors are members of a German government funded research project on how to support HCMC’s municipal government to adapt to risks related to climate change.

Case studies of community action in Vietnam form the basis for a new policy model for pollution control in developing countries.