Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) play an active role in economic development, improving household livelihoods, raising the value of forestry production, and supporting sustainable forest management. This study involved a comprehensive assessment of the growth, development, and trade of NTFPs in Vietnam by combining logistic and tobit methods. Surveys were used to interview 400 households in three regions of Central Vietnam. Results showed that the planting, development, and trading of NTFPs are shaped by forestry production experience, the number of laborers, the percentage of wage earners, agricultural income, timber income, per capita income, the presence of bank deposits, the distance between forest and house, an understanding of forestry economic policies, and participation in technical training. Each factor had a different level of influence. Among the six NTFP groups, the groups generating yarn and medicines produced the highest income and had a strong impact on household reliance on NTFPs. This was followed by NTFPs used to generate food, oil, and plastic. The proportion of people with wages, and the income variable system, negatively impacted NTFP planting and income generation, which reduced household reliance on NTFPs. This means that there is a trade-off between NTFPs and other income generating activities. In the future, the government should develop specific plans, policies, and strategies for developing each type of NTFP suitable to each region’s natural conditions. The policies should include supporting people with low-interest bank loans; expanding the number of training courses to increase their understanding of forestry economic policies; and implementing cultivation techniques and forest care to improve the productivity, quality, and efficiency of NTFP products.

Indicators measuring industrial international competitiveness are being continuously improved. However, so far, there is no unified perfect indicator to measure the level of international competitiveness of the industry. Based on the market share index (MS), trade competitiveness index (TC), revealed comparative advantage index (RCA), and relative trade advantage index (RTA), we constructed a comprehensive international competitiveness index by combining the variation coefficient and the entropy method. This study aims to compare and evaluate the international competitiveness of the wood processing industry (ICWPI) in Vietnam using a comprehensive international competitiveness index. The data is collected from the top 22 countries and the total import and export volume of the wood processing industry from the repository of official international trade statistics (UN Comtrade) database for 2001–2017. The results found that it is more accurate to use the combined variation coefficient and the entropy method to evaluate the international competitiveness of the wood processing industry, compared to using only a single index. The growth rate of international competitiveness of Vietnam increased rapidly from 2001 to 2007 but slowed from 2008 to 2017. Vietnam has the advantages of natural resources, low labor costs and favorable geographical location. However, the low productivity gains and added industry value have led to a gradual decline in the international competitiveness growth rate of Vietnam’s wood processing industry.

This study applied a gravity model estimation using panel data in order to analyze the impact of the determinants of Vietnam’s wood products trade from 2001 to 2016.The gravity estimates imply the importance of size of the economies, distance, level of openness of the economy, population, forest resource endowments of Vietnam’s trade partners, Vietnam’s logging restrictions policy, common border, free trade agreement, and exchange rates as determinants of Vietnam’s wood products trade. These variables were found to have different effects on the export and import of wood products. Vietnam’s access to the WTO and APEC did not help either its imports or exports in wood products. The results of this study also indicate that the Government of Vietnam needs to implement policies to increase investment in the wood processing industry, develop high quality wood materials from domestic plantations, and take advantage of trade preferences from new free trade agreements in order to promote wood product trade. The results of this study have implications for trade policy, resource-based economic development, and Vietnam’s forest resource conservation.

The research on international trade competitiveness is progressing continuously. Environmental factors have been gradually considered in the competitiveness of international trade. However, the green assessment system of international trade competitiveness is not perfect. Building a model based on the trade economy is complex. This study combines environmental pollution data based on the forest processing industry with trade flows. Environmental trade competitiveness, pollution treatment, and trade scale were selected as the three criterion levels to construct an assessment system. The weight and score of each index were calculated by the overall entropy method. The overall entropy method is more comprehensive than the traditional entropy weight method due to introduce longitudinal comparisons of time and category. This method is a dynamic evaluation model with analysis of three-dimensional sequential data tables. The use of this method enables the assessment model to analyze more comprehensively the green level of a country’s trade in wooden forest products in terms of time and product category. The green level of chemical wood pulp and sawn timber trade in China is at a high level. The pollution treatment and trade scale of chemical wood pulp and sawn timber attained a medium level of matching. The trades in particle board, hardboard, newsprint, carton board, and wrapping paper are at medium levels of green. The trades in medium density fiberboard and plywood have poor levels of green and need to improve their green production capacity. It is suggested that China should increase investment in scientific research, as well as establish policies to restrict and treat pollution in the industry of wooden forest products, while increasing the export volumes of products with high added value. China should attach importance to the pollution resulting from the manufacture of wooden forest products. The state should support policies for these producers reducing production emissions.

Hội chứng dễ bị tổn thương (HCDBTT) là một hội chứng lão khoa, xảy ra do sự tích tụ của quá trình suy giảm chức năng nhiều hệ thống cơ quan trong cơ thể, biểu hiện là trạng thái dễ bị tổn thương với các yếu tố về thể chất, xã hội và môi trường. Phương pháp nghiên cứu: nghiên cứu cắt ngang trên 210 người bệnh loãng xương trong thời gian từ tháng 8 năm 2021 đến tháng 8 năm 2022 tại Bệnh viện Lão khoa Trung ương. Kết quả nghiên cứu cho thấy có 22,86% người bệnh loãng xương có hội chứng dễ bị tổn thương, trong đó đa số là HCDBTT mức độ nhẹ 18,1% và vừa 4,76%, không có HCDBTT mức độ nặng, rất nặng hay ở giai đoạn cuối. Tỷ lệ mắc HCDBTT ở người độc thân/góa/ly dị cao hơn so với những người đã kết hôn lần lượt là 48,48% và 18,08% sự khác biệt có ý nghĩa thống kê với mức tin cậy 95%. Tỷ lệ bệnh nhân loãng xương bị HCDBTT chiếm tỷ lệ không nhỏ, do đó việc đánh giá hội chứng này trên những bệnh nhân loãng xương nên trở thành một quy trình thường quy để có thể phát hiện và đưa ra những biện pháp can thiệp phù hợp nhằm nâng cao chất lượng cuộc sống của người bệnh cao tuổi.