Implementation Status and Recommendation of Construction Waste Management Policies and Regulations in Vietnam

Construction waste management (CWM) has attracted positive attention from researchers due to its environmental and social benefits. Several studies have revealed that construction and demolition waste generation has been rapidly increasing, while the CWM in practice is ineffectively performed in many countries, especially in Vietnam. The inefficiency of practical CWM in developing countries may be related to local regulations and policy issues. Therefore, the suitability between CWM regulations and practices has emerged as an urgent demand for society. This study aims to reveal the status of CWM policies and regulations in Vietnam and to contribute recommendations of CWM to the Vietnamese authorities based on existing experiences of several developed countries (the United States and the European Union) and developing countries (China, India, and Vietnam). The content analysis technique was done by obtaining information about regulations, policies, and studies in terms of CWM in various developed and developing countries, and thereby analyzing the characteristics of the CWM processes. Two findings of this study included (i) although the Vietnamese CWM policies and regulations are at the national level, these legal documents do not provide sufficient support for local in implementing CWM, and (ii) CWM implementation experiences in the developed countries may be adapted to orient Vietnamese CWM policies and regulations for implementation at local levels. In conclusion, this study was considered as advice for authorities and the construction industry in Vietnam to improve CWM performance in practice.