3 Even after more than three decades since the introduction of “Đổi Mới” (Reform) in 1986, Vietnam’s economy is still highly dependent on natural resources and commodities, making the country heavily[.]
3 Even after more than three decades since the introduction of “Đổi Mới” (Reform) in 1986, Vietnam’s economy is still highly dependent on natural resources and commodities, making the country heavily vulnerable to resources availability and commodity prices It is well recognized that a healthy economy should not be over-reliant on external factors including resource imports and volatile commodity prices – in the long run The economic development of Vietnam over the last three decades has therefore been only partially successful (Vu-Thanh, Tu-Anh, 2014) Some of the major impediments facing the country are the relationship between party-state and the private sectors; the inequality and unfairness in access to basic resources for economic growth by these two economic sectors; insufficient and undiversified architecture of production and economic structure, lack of long-term balanced strategies informed by technological advances; and the absence of holistic approaches and institutions that are capable of considering linkages between economy, energy, food and water Vietnam is currently facing crucial challenges to achieve economic growth targets of 7% to 8% in the coming decades Some of the key impediments to achieve this target include unstable macroeconomic environment, poor labour productivity, weak financial sector, insecurity of key natural resources (energy, food and water) (MGI, 2012; UNDP, 2015) Rapidly increasing demand of energy, food, and water, of 75%, 51% and 20%, respectively by 2030 in the backdrop of depleting resources is a critical hurdle for achieving targeted economic growth (MOIT and DEA, 2017; 2030 WRG, 2017) The country therefore requires prompt action to transform historical policy trends into innovative policies Availability of adequate, affordable and sustainable energy, food and water, and design of policies and institutions that are capable of considering diverse issues arising from interlinkages between these three resources are therefore critical The linkages between food, water and energy are inherently complex, and becoming increasingly uncertain, which makes it difficult to predict their impacts on socioeconomic development This research therefore analyses the impacts of alternative developmental pathways (scenarios) underscored by a range of energy, food, and water considerations on socio-economic development, and identifies policy trade-offs for the country for the period 2014-2030 To achieve this objective, the research applies a multidisciplinary research approach, which enables the integration of various methods, such an historical analysis, input-output modelling, scenario analysis, and policy assessment