Mainland Vietnam RDM Suitability Index

We can see from the above that the two marked out villages that have been chosen, Van Quan in red and Chi Lang in black, are in the top 25% and 12% of the RDM values in the country. This means these villages are very suitable to apply our rural sustainable development framework. From the map, we can clearly see areas which may have potential, promising sites - high RDM Suitability Index value (yellow)- e.g. areas inland from the coast and close to the northern borders with Laos. This information will arm policy/decision makers with quantitative information about where to efficiently invest for rural sustainable development.

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What is the RDM Suitability Index?


The Rural Development Model (RDM) is a framework for rural development with the goal of achieving self-sustained growth. The five stages of the model include Pre-electrification, Electrification, Education and Learning, Self-Sufficiency, and Self-Sustained Growth. Learn more about the Rural Development Model here.

The RDM Suitability Index (a.k.a. RDM Index) is a metric reflecting a country, state, or town’s suitability for undergoing the Rural Development Model. Using the RDM Suitability Index, we can more efficiently determine which areas may best benefit from the RDM framework. This metric aggregates data from economic, environmental, geographic, social, and cultural indicators to inform its final calculation. For example, a very suitable area would be one with a high poverty index, large amounts of unused natural energy, social isolation of ethnic minorities, limited economic activity, etc. Read more about the calculation of the RDM Suitability Index here.

One of the main goals of the RDM framework is to achieve sustainable development. Sustainable development is a state of development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, aiming to achieve growth, resilience, and stability (Brundtland ​et al​., 1987). The five data categories used in the calculation of the RDM Suitability Index are based on the major pillars of sustainable development, which include the economic, environmental, social, and cultural dimension.

  1. The Economic aspect aims to maintain economic production and standard of living.

  2. The Social aspect deals with the supporting the structures of society and social well-being.

  3. The Cultural aspect refers to the development of knowledge, tradition, and identity.

  4. The Environmental aspect describes the availability of natural resources. -

  5. The Geographic category, which does not map onto any of the pillars of sustainability, is a separate category which comprises of quantitative data describing features of a region's geographic profile.