Abstract—Given their geographic advantages and abundant resources, coastal tourism areas contribute significantly to socioeconomic development. However, the environment in these areas is highly vulnerable due to rapid socioeconomic development and climate change. The development of an environmental vulnerability index under intensive tourism pressure is therefore vital for sustainable coastal management. This study applied the multicriteria decision-making method to establish an environmental vulnerability assessment index based on two component indices, namely, sensitivity and adaptability, for the coastal tourism area of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, Vietnam. The data were collected through secondary sources, surveys, in-depth interviews, remote sensing, and geographic information systems to estimate the indices and assess vulnerability. The vulnerability maps of 23 subregions in the study area were then constructed. They revealed four levels of vulnerability: low, moderate, high, and very high, which accounted for 21.74%, 34.78%, 30.43%, and 13.04% of the study area, respectively. Subsequently, three solutions were proposed to mitigate the vulnerability in the subregions with high and very high vulnerability. This study will assist decision-makers in planning and facilitating the sustainable development of coastal areas.
Keywords—vulnerability, sensitivity, adaptability, multiple-criteria decision-making, coastal areas, remote sensing, geographic information systems
Cite: Minh Thanh Tran, Loan Thi Diem Tran, Dung Do Sam, Duc Anh Tran, and Cuong Tan Le, "Environmental Vulnerability Assessment in Coastal Areas with Intensive Tourism Activities: A Case Study in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Vietnam," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 353-363, 2025.
Copyright © 2025 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).