A major issue of urbanization that leads to a myriad of other problems is the inevitable population growth in the cities. Every day, more and more people from rural areas are moving to cities in the hopes of acquiring more education, finding employment opportunities, and essentially, living a better life. The rapid influx of people creates serious issues like lower quality of health, less job prospects for each person, increased poverty, increased crime, increased traffic, increased social and economic inequality, and an overall lower quality of life among the Vietnamese population. In addition, the growing population also leads to environmental problems, like air pollution and water pollution.
Upon our arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, I expect that the congested atmosphere and the overcrowded streets will overwhelm many of us almost immediately because most of us are unaccustomed to the lack of personal space. According to the statistics presented by Dahiya, urban densities in Asia are almost ten times of those found in US cities (2012, pg 47). It isn’t difficult to deduce the problems that arise from a large population. The population growth makes it incredibly difficult to continuously maintain or improve basic facilities or systems to accommodate all the residents. Because of other focuses, like economic success, of the nation and its people, insufficient attention is given to the environment, which of course impacts both the health and the living conditions of the people. Moreover, the growing population produces more waste; and because of poor waste management, the water and air are being affected. I will undoubtedly notice the horrendous traffic, lack of quality facilities, poorly maintained roads, overcrowded buildings, and polluted air and water.