Beyond Desakota: the urbanization process and spatial restructuring in contemporary Vietnam

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study explored Vietnam’s urbanization process and spatial restructuring over the last 30 years to conceptualize a new phenomenon challenging the concept of desakota. We constructed socioeconomic and urban land cover data from 1987 to 2018. Furthermore, we compared the urbanization process with the economic transition and mapped urban land growth patterns. The study found the following urbanization features: (1) fluctuating process of urbanization by development stage in a transitional economy, (2) formation of heterogeneous spatial patterns in metropolitan regions, (3) dramatic landscape changes caused by capitalistic property developments, and (4) functional reordering among urban centers and newly urbanized areas.