In Vietnam, a country with a numerous population and growing economy, solid waste
management has become a serious issue, attracting the attention of the local government
and businesses. This study aimed at reviewing Vietnam’s solid waste management industry
and its overall business environment.
Porter’s diamond model and PESTEL analysis were used in this research as theoretical
framework. Porter’s diamond model was used to analyze the competitiveness of the
Vietnam’s solid waste management industry and local resources available for firms to
operate. PESTEL analysis was employed to explore the external macro-economic factors of
the country: political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors.
An exploratory research approach was used in this research. Secondary data was gathered
from governmental statistics, academic researches, reports of research institutions and
trade associations. After the secondary data had been gathered, four semi-structured
interviews were conducted with governmental officials and company representatives to
collect primary data.
The results showed that Vietnam had a weak solid waste management system, lacking
skilled workforce, adequate infrastructure and technological readiness. The country was in
need of efficient waste disposal solutions to deal with the growing waste generation.
Despite the unclear and weak environmental legislation, the Vietnamese government had
issued encouraging policies to attract private and foreign companies to enter the sector.
The research results are useful for business executives, investors, or policy-makers for
strategic decisions making. The main limitations included the quality of participants’ answers
through phone interview and geographical scope of the interviews. As for further research,
study on energy-from-waste business opportunities, or on how social attitude can affect the
solid waste management industry were recommended by the author.