HOABINHIAN IN VIETNAM AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES FROM 20,000 TO 7,000 YEARS BP

This article studies the basic economic activities of Hoa Binh cultural inhabitants in the period of 20,000 to 7,000 years BP, including tool making, hunting, gathering, and primitive agriculture. The research results have identified a number of key economic characteristics of Hoa Binh cultural residents and evaluated the effectiveness of human methods of finding and gathering food under the fluctuations of the natural environment during the late Pleistocene to early Holocene in northern Vietnam. Little evidence directly related to cultivation and animal husbandry has been found at Hoa Binh cultural sites, so the issue of Hoa Binh agriculture is still a working hypothesis that needs to be studied further

Adaptation options for agricultural cultivation systems in the South Central Coast under the context of climate change: Assessment Report.

This report highlights the results of consultation meetings and field visits organized by the Department of Crop Production and the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security in Southeast Asia in association with the three offices of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in the South Central Coast provinces of Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, and Khanh Hoa, in combination with consultation with the provinces in the conference: “Summing up crops production in the Winter-Spring season in 2018-2019, implementing the Summer-Autumn season, Main rice season in 2019 for the South Central Coast and the Central Highlands” held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Tam Ky City, Quang Nam Province on 12 April 2019. The meetings underlined the progress made by the provinces on climate change adaptation and mitigation, options for risk reductions in agricultural production, and conversion of crop structure as results of implementing the guidelines of the provinces and the Sector, especially, solutions for reservation and efficient and economic use of water under the context of climate change. This assessment report also reviews some issues related to the agricultural transformation of the region in adapting to risks caused by climate change. They are based on comparative advantages in terms of geographical location and market of key agricultural products. This report also points out shortcomings in using land and unreasonable points in managing and using important natural resources, especially water, and provides recommendations for the agricultural transformation and inter-regional connection with the Central Highlands and the Southeast. The team also introduces climate-related risks maps and adaptation plans (CS MAP) which is applied in the five provinces in the Mekong Delta Region, and hopes this solution’s expansion shall be supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the provinces

Thematic Shifts in Contemporary Vietnamese American Novels

This article examines the thematic shifts in three contemporary Vietnamese American novels published since 2003: Monique Truong\u27s The Book of Salt, Dao Strom\u27s Grass Roof, Tin Roof, and Bich Minh Nguyen\u27s Short Girls. I argue that by concentrating on the themes of inferiority and invisibility and issues related to ethnic and racial relationships in U.S. culture (instead of concentrating on the Vietnam War and the refugee experiences), some contemporary Vietnamese American authors are attempting to merge their voices into the corpus of ethnic American literature, which usually is thematically characterized by identity, displacement, alienation, and cultural conflict, etc. Each author explores the problems confronted by individuals caught up in various phases of the Vietnamese diaspora of the twentieth century. These important works are treated primarily thematically, even as the theoretical approaches of various critics are employed to examine those themes. All three novels take Vietnamese American literature in new thematic directions, which signals great promise for future developments. Key words: contemporary Vietnamese American novels, Monique Truong\u27s The Book of Salt, Dao Strom\u27s Grass Roof, Tin Roof, Bich Minh Nguyen\u27s Short Girls, invisible identity

Safe motherhood : development and women's health in childbirth, Binh Dinh province, Viet Nam : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy of Development Studies, Massey University, New Zealand

Safe Motherhood is one of the most important aspects of women's health, and is crucial to the development of a country. Women can only contribute to the economic, political, social and cultural development of their country if they are well and healthy. This thesis reviews the literature on poverty, health and development to examine factors which contribute to this major global issue. One of the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals is to reduce maternal mortality by three quarters by the year 2015. Maternal mortality is the major cause of death among women of childbearing age in the developing world, with the World Health Organisation estimating that 600,000 women a year die as a result of pregnancy and childbirth (Levine et al., 2004; Thompson, 1999). Most of the deaths (99%) occur in developing countries and 80% of them are preventable, even in resource-poor countries (Lewis, 2003). The major direct cause of maternal mortality is haemorrhage at birth; if haemorrhage was reduced it would contribute significantly to reduction of maternal mortality (Wagstaff & Claeson, 2004). In this research project the author worked with the Binh Dinh Provincial Department of Health to develop a more complete picture of the problem of haemorrhage in one rural province of Viet Nam. Ethnic minority women are among the poorest and most disadvantaged in the community. In this research they were shown to receive the least amount of preventative antenatal health care, and to be at greatest risk of haemorrhage. The single greatest health factor shown to reduce maternal mortality is to have a skilled attendant at every birth who can prevent or detect problems early, and treat emergencies such as haemorrhage (Levine et al., 2004; World Bank, 2003; de Bernis et al., 2003; Kwast et al., 2003; Peters, 2000). In the second branch of the research, detailed observations were made of the technical skills of maternity staff to assess areas which could be improved through training programmes. These training programmes will enable the midwives to be better skilled and to provide safer care. Recommendations from the research include that the Department of Health invest in strengthening basic training, and ongoing postgraduate in-service education, in specific technical areas of monitoring and treating haemorrhage; that logistical support and supplies be improved so that all centres have the necessary equipment and medications to be able to prevent and treat haemorrhage; and that the Department of Health apply to the Ministry of Health for permission to teach their staff a specific haemorrhage prevention management approach called Active Management of the third stage of labour. Midwives in the province are eager for training and improved skills, and with the Department's support in these matters outlined above, they can achieve their desire of providing the best care they can to women in their communities. Improving the technical skills of midwives is one important aspect of addressing the problem of maternal mortality. However other underlying causes are complex and include poverty and the low status of women in society; these aspects will be more difficult to overcome. Safe Motherhood is a right; women in every country should be able to expect to survive the natural process of childbirth. It will take a multi-layered approach to overcome this complex problem and allow women to be safe in childbirth