UNCRD conducted the fourth training course for Viet Nam as part of a series of five training courses in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). For a systematic understanding of living environment issues, the lecture sessions were structured around the following modules: (1) local autonomy system, (2) improvement of urban living environment, (3) techniques for improving the living environment, (4) citizen participation and living environment improvement, (5) living environment improvement in developing countries, (6) construction guidance, (7) urban waste management, and (8) urban disaster prevention. The field visit programme included various destinations not only in Aichi Prefecture but other prefectures. During group discussions, the participants reviewed their input derived from the field studies and discussed with UNCRD staff possibilities of applying useful measures to the Vietnamese context.

The fourth training course focused on preservation and improvement of the living environment in consideration of rapid urbanization in Viet Nam and added the perspective of sustainability to the four conventional perspectives of living environment improvement - safety, health, convenience, and amenity. The participants learned the theory of "the five principles of living environment" through lectures and then made field visits to relevant locations. Afterwards, they examined case studies and made group presentations to better understand each case clearly and develop discussions based on what they had learned.

The course was programmed so that the participants themselves could seek and find solutions to the problems related to degradation of living environment caused by rapid urbanization and the development boom in Viet Nam. The lecture on the Japanese experience of living environment improvement gave the participants a chance to consider their own measures, while the lecture and field visit on techniques for improving the living environment helped them appreciate details of urban development strategies. The participants took particular interest in the case of new town development. New town development being an issue in Viet Nam, they gained considerable insight 0from the Japanese case including the processes of land selection and planning as well as the importance of consideration for human activities.

In view of the rapid changes Viet Nam is going through, it seems necessary to explore a number of issues more thoroughly in the next training course. The first issue is appropriate infrastructure-building in living environment improvement. In Viet Nam where traditional landscapes are preserved in some urban areas, measures are being sought to build urban infrastructure for convenient life while conserving historic landscapes. During the fourth training course, when the participants made field visits to observe Nara City's efforts at urban landscape formation and Yokkaichi City's pollution prevention and control measures, some expressed their willingness to study details of water supply and sewerage system development. The second issue to be emphasized in the next course is waste disposal management, which was chosen as the theme of the action plan by the official from Ho Chi Minh City. Concerning waste management, the fourth training course dealt mostly with the aspect of administrative services. On the presumption that waste problems will grow more serious in Viet Nam, the next course will examine detailed methodology of waste disposal including a field visit to a waste disposal facility.

The participants prepared individual action plans based on their understanding of lectures and analysis of advantages and disadvantages of case studies, incorporating applicable ideas from relevant Japanese cases and measures to address possible problems in implementation. The themes of the action plans are as follows:

• Hanoi City development projects
• Improvement of housing in Hanoi City
• Waste disposal management in Ho Chi Minh City
• Participatory rural redevelopment
• Landscape planning along the Han River in Da Nang City

All the action plans are rational and excellent, however, they require some preparatory work related to funding, legislation and other issues. It is expected the participants will utilize what they have learned from Japanese cases taking notice of Vietnamese development levels. It is also hoped they will implement plans for improving the living environment in consideration of economic, environmental and social sustainability, while reflecting citizens' opinions.