An Integrated Framework for Air Quality Management in Vietnam: Combining Emission Inventory, GIS, Modeling, and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

Abstract

Air pollution is currently one of the most serious challenges to public health and sustainable development. In Vietnam, although there have been positive improvements in managing air quality recently, many local programs still lack a strong scientific basis and effective techniques to identify which air quality management (AQM) solutions should be prioritized. Because of this, efforts to reduce air pollution are often scattered, unfocused, and not as effective as they could be. This study presents an integrated AQM framework tailored to Vietnam context. The framework combines four key approaches: emission inventory, geographic information systems (GIS), air pollution dispersion modeling and multi-criteria decision analysis, especially the combined AHP–TOPSIS method. It outlines six clear steps designed to provide a thorough way to manage air quality and help decide which solutions should come first. Within this framework, ten criteria have been developed to evaluate and prioritize these solutions. This approach can be applied widely across different provinces and cities in Vietnam, covering all major sources of air pollution such as industrial points, traffic, area-wide sources, and natural biological sources. Not only does this method ensure a systematic and practical way to manage air quality, but it also helps build a solid scientific basis for policy - making, ultimately improving how effectively Vietnam controls air pollution