| In the context of high urbanization in Southeast Asia, peri-urban areas suffer increasing environmental pressures and lack access to funding and environmental infrastructures. The thesis focuses on strategies and financing mechanisms that will help reduce the gap between supply and demand for sanitation.;The thesis updates knowledge in two important areas related to sanitation: the institutional framework, which governs the financing of sanitation, and the costs and benefits of alternative sanitation in Vietnam. At the onset of this research, both subjects lacked any significant literature. Despite weak local capacities, it was discovered that the real demand for sanitation happened to be much greater than that found in previous documentation. The research concludes that government agencies could count on a greater contribution from communities if efforts are directed towards education and promotion, on top of conferring greater responsibilities to local populations, and opting for simpler technologies.;Keywords : Sanitation, Vietnam, participation, alternatives technologies, community-driven, financing, demand.;The thesis tries to answer the following question: In the context of suburban Hanoi, how does one draw upon local resources to improve the access to and sustainability of sanitation? The case study is a pilot community wastewater management project in the suburbs of Hanoi. The thesis analyzes the demand for sanitation and its impacts on the sustainability of the project in the home, village and region. Two main hypotheses are set forth. First, national resources and local users should additionally fund sanitation infrastructures. Second, there is a need to invest further in activities that enhance the sustainability of sanitation, like education and promotion, which will in turn encourage local contribution. |
