Economic liberalization policies in China and Vietnam have spurred unprecedented rates of economic growth. In both cases, one of the most evident effects of policy reform has been the acceleration of land use change, in particular, the urbanization of agricultural land in both countries, and the expansion of shrimp aquaculture in Vietnam. The Pearl River Delta, located in southern China, and the Red River Delta, situated in the north-west region of Vietnam, are two regions experiencing dramatic socioeconomic, cultural, and land use changes.

CESP senior research scholar Karen Seto began research in the Pearl River (Zhujiang) Delta in 1996 to evaluate the major drivers, spatial and temporal patterns, and consequences of land use change. Using a combination of remote sensing imagery, field surveys, and socioeconomic data, she assessed the influences of various policies on urban growth patterns since the economic reforms of the late 1970s. Before the reforms, the Delta was one of the major lychee, mulberry and silkworm, and rice producing regions in China. Since the open door policies, the Delta has been transformed into one of the country's major economic powerhouses, with industries replacing farmland and foreign direct investment changing the function and form of urban development.

In 2001, this study expanded to include the pre-reform period, and the Red River (Song Hong) Delta region, a major agricultural region in Vietnam. Although the Delta encompasses less than five percent of Vietnam's total land area, its 17 million residents comprise more than one-fifth of the total population, giving the Delta the highest population density in the country. Since the doi moi reforms promulgated in the 1980s, the Delta has undergone rapid aquaculture development, urbanization, and agricultural intensification.