Concern about energy depletion has risen because of industrialization and consumerism, pushing a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. To this end, every group within society, especially the youth, should be made responsible for confronting and/or mitigating environmental problems. This study advances the understanding of young adults’ intentions to learn about energy conservation and its influencing factors, as well as contributes to the literature on environmental management and environmental culture and development. We used a systematic random sample technique to conduct a large-scale online survey with 1454 students from 48 different Vietnamese universities and employed Bayesian regression model to analyze the data. The initial research indicates that young adults are highly concerned about the environment, but more work has to be done to turn perceptions into actions. The majority of respondents—nearly 83%—want to increase their energy-saving knowledge, and around 50% are interested in enrolling in an energy course. Their decision regarding participation in an energy course is largely influenced by their perception and income. Women were more inclined to take energy-saving courses, and people who lived in rural areas had a stronger desire to increase their knowledge. Our research has various policy implications for promoting energy transformation and/or nurturing environmental cultures associated with environmental education improvement in Vietnam and beyond.

As one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, Vietnam is tackling environmental pollution, particularly plastic waste. This study contributes to the literature on environmental culture and practical solutions by better understanding households’ behaviours and motivations for (i) sorting waste, (ii) contributing to the environmental fund and (iii) relocating. The questionnaire-based interview method was used to randomly collect information from 730 households in 25 provinces in Vietnam during February 2022. Bayesian regression models, coupled with the mindsponge mechanism, were applied to analyse the data. The results showed that people’s strategies and responses to plastic waste pollution vary: 38.63% of respondents were sorting waste at home, 74.25% of households agreed to contribute to the environmental fund, and 23.56% had a plan to relocate for a better living place. The households’ strategies and intentions were driven by several structural and contextual factors such as age of household head, income, care about the environment, and the perceived effects of polluted waste. More importantly, communication was a robust variable in sorting waste decisions, which suggested that better communication would help increase people’s awareness and real actions in reducing plastic waste and ultimately improving the environment. These findings will benefit the ongoing green economy, circular economy, and green growth transition toward more sustainable development, particularly in developing and fast-population-growing countries.

The circular economy (CE), a sustainability concept that promotes resource efficiency and waste reduction, has garnered significant popularity in recent years due to its potential to address pressing environmental and economic challenges. This study applies the Bayesian Mindsponge Mindspongeconomics (BMM) framework/analytic method, based on the Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF), to the factors influencing young adults’ pro-environmental behavior and their purchases of green products at different price levels. The findings indicate that young adults who are knowledgeable about the CE and who value environmental protection and energy conservation are more likely to engage in waste sorting, while the factors that affect their willingness to pay (WTP) more for green and energy-saving products vary at different price tiers. This study demonstrates that knowledge of the CE, daily waste sorting habits, and environmental concern positively impact young adults’ WTP for products that are priced 5%, 10%, and 15% higher, respectively. Furthermore, this study also highlights the potential of educational programs and cultural influences in nurturing a generation that prioritizes environmental value. This research integrates multidisciplinary perspectives and offers practical implications for policymakers, educators, and businesses seeking to promote green literacy and foster an environmental culture among the youth, contributing to the broader goals of green transformation and sustainable development associated with the CE and the green economy, especially in the urban areas of emerging countries and beyond.

Climate change continues to pose a constant threat to nature and human beings, and thus demands adaptability and flexibility in forestry and domestic land use management. In this context, the Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) project was introduced to harness forests to curb greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to combat climate change. As of 2020, REDD+ was implemented in 65 countries across the world, including Vietnam. While the missions of afforestation and forest protection cannot be accomplished without the aid of local residents, low participation from stakeholders, particularly poor farmers, is an obstacle in climate mitigation projects. To contribute to improving REDD+ with a useful Vietnam reference, this study uses a random sample approach coupled with a face-to-face interview method to survey 215 households in Chau Thai, one of 206 poor communes in Nghe An province, to learn about (1) residents’ perception towards the importance of forests, (2) how forests contribute as a source of livelihood, (3) potential for household engagement in REDD+. The research findings show that the important role of forests is well acknowledged, the majority of forestland was allocated to plantation forests, and the seeds are carefully selected to satisfy market demand. In addition, forests are recorded to make major contributions to residents’ income and roughly four-fifths of households revealed their willingness to get involved in the REDD+ project with a monthly subsidy of 500–2000 kVND (22.3–89.2 USD). The study provides valuable information about forest-based rural livelihood and policy options to facilitate REDD+ participation among farmers. This, in turn, helps devise more appropriate policies for climate change mitigation and sustainable rural mountainous development nationwide and beyond.