Community members are welcome to attend two public lectures on Vietnam, hosted by The University of Findlay, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, in the Endly Room, located in the Alumni Memorial Union, and at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, in Malcolm Lecture Hall, located in the Kenneth L. Frost Science Center.

All also are invited to attend a welcome reception at 6:30 p.m. prior to each presentation            

Son Thanh Tung, a professor at the Vietnam National University of Social Science and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City, will present “Rural Life in the Mekong River Delta” on Oct. 22 and “Economic Development and Socio-Environmental Challenges in Ho Chi Minh City” on Oct. 28.            

The Oct. 22 presentation will describe the life of people living in the Mekong River Delta (MRD), the biggest rice supply source in Vietnam.

Main production like rice, fruits, vegetables, fishery, aquaculture and river culture will be discussed. The challenges to the life and production of the MRD people will be presented, which include threats from huge dams built in upstream countries of China, Laos and Thailand; saline water invasion; and lack of strategic solutions for farmers’ products. The policy of poverty reduction in the area also will be evaluated.

The Oct. 28 presentation will offer a description of economic development, rural/urban migration and the urbanization process in Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city of Vietnam.

As a result of these factors, various challenges have appeared, from city pollution, flooding, lack of housing supply and congestion to changing of lifestyles of city dwellers, especially those who live in newly urbanized areas. In this lecture, solutions that have been applied so far in the city to deal with the challenges will be analyzed.

A question-and-answer session will be offered at each presentation.

With additional questions regarding the presentations, contact Cathy Donovan at donovan@findlay.edu or 419-434-4711.