Studies Related to Clustering Method and Clustering Livelihoods

The study has clarified the theory of tourism economy towards sustainable development. Analyzing the content and factors affecting tourism economy towards sustainable development including: Objective factors (World and regional economic and political situation; Trends of international economic integration and linkage in tourism economic development; Tourism market; Climate change); Subjective factors (natural conditions, local socio-economic conditions; mechanisms and policies for tourism economic development of the state and locality. The thesis analyzed some impacts of tourism development on people's livelihoods. Accordingly, with a scale from 1: completely disagree to 5: completely agree, the average assessment level of local people reached 4.29 for the criterion that tourism contributes to local economic development; the criterion of increasing income for many people living around the heritage area reached an average assessment of 4.23; the criterion of creating many jobs for local people reached an average of 4.57; and the criterion of diversifying local economic activities reached an average of 4.18. Many traditional craft villages that had been lost have been restored, traditional art forms such as Ca Hue, Nha Nhac continue to develop, the complex of Hue Monuments has been restored and embellished.

Thi Thu Huong Hoang et al. (2020) studied the Impact of tourism development on local livelihoods and land cover in the northern highlands of Vietnam. The authors analyzed the relationship between tourism development, local livelihoods and land cover change at the household level. Sa Pa district was selected as a case study. In 25 rural villages in Sa Pa, 487 households were interviewed. This allowed the authors to classify rural households into three livelihood types: (1) full-time farming, (2) farming with limited involvement in tourism and (3) farming and main involvement in tourism activities. Next, the relationship between tourism and land cover change at the household level was quantified. The results showed that tourism development has increased the living standards of ethnic minorities and led to more intensive farming systems with forest regeneration on abandoned fields. However, participation in tourism depends on the geographical location of the community. Author Ngo Thi Lien (2018) divided households into two groups: households participating in tourism business and households not participating in tourism business to see the difference between the two groups of households. The research results show that people participating in tourism have more positive feelings than those not participating in tourism, people positively perceive the benefits of tourism.

socio-cultural, environmental and conservation aspects. However, those not involved in the tourism business are concerned that tourism will have a greater impact on the environment if the number of tourists increases.

Concerned with the change in social capital, specifically the cultural issue, the studies of Le Anh Tuan & Nguyen Thi Hong Tam (2013), Dang Thi Dieu Trang (2013), Dang Thi Dieu Trang & cs. (2019) were carried out. In which, Le Anh Tuan & Nguyen Thi Hong Tam (2013) focused on studying the exchange between indigenous culture and international culture. In the process of implementing tourism activities, the unique cultural features of both sides were directly felt from both sides, thanks to which, the process of cultural reception between tourists and indigenous people, especially young people, took place. Dang Thi Dieu Trang (2013), Dang Thi Dieu Trang & cs. (2019) were interested in the cultural change of ethnic people under the impact of community tourism. The participation of individuals in the community in providing tourism services will both ensure the maintenance of people's ownership and solve the problem of preserving natural resources and cultural values of local residents. Tourism connects personal interests with the community through employment, income, etc., thereby promoting each individual in the community to raise awareness of preserving local cultural values. Tourism development has transformed local culture in four aspects: (1) changes in livelihoods due to community tourism development policies with the basic activity of commodifying local culture to attract tourists; (2) changes in social relationships from the impact of tourism economic activities such as changes in community relations and relations with the outside world - tourists; (3) changes in gender relations with the emergence of the important role of women in community tourism activities; (4) Activities to demonstrate ethnic identity to attract tourists such as art performances, cuisine, etc.

Comprehensive assessment of the impact of tourism development on livelihood capital sources, the research of Do Hai Yen (2017) and Bui Van Manh (2020) has quite similar conclusions. (1) Natural capital: Tourism development has helped to embellish tourist attractions and improve environmental quality. However, the recovery of agricultural land has also caused many farming households to lack or have no land for production, significantly affecting traditional livelihoods. (2) Human capital: The increase in university entrance rate in the research areas shows an increase in human quality. Vocational training courses for workers

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Locality also helps improve the qualifications and skills of local people. However, training is not really systematic and specialized, so workers still lack many skills. (3) Social capital: Tangible and intangible cultural heritages are well preserved. Tourism development has increased cohesion, forming a symbiotic relationship between entities providing related tourism services. Besides, conflicts and competition for the interests of businesses in the same industry have also arisen. (4) Financial resources: Thanks to increased income, financial resources can be mobilized from households, people's credit funds and banks. (5) Physical resources: Infrastructure and transportation systems at tourist destinations and residential areas have been invested and upgraded.

2.2.3. Studies related to clustering method and clustering livelihoods

2.2.3.1. Studies related to clustering method

Clustering method is the name of a group of multivariate techniques whose main goal is to classify units based on some of their characteristics. These techniques identify and classify objects or variables so that objects in the same cluster are similar to each other in terms of the characteristics chosen for study (Hoang Trong & Chu Nguyen Mong Ngoc, 2008). According to Mitri et al. (2018), cluster analysis can be used to classify the structure of a community. It is especially useful for identifying/classifying a complex system (Deford et al., 2019). In fact, cluster analysis is applied in many different fields such as: behavioral, social, psychological, and business research.

In the business sector, for any business, it is essential to meet the needs of customers. However, it is difficult for businesses to satisfy the individual needs of each customer. Therefore, customer segmentation to meet the needs of each of these customer groups is essential for businesses. There are many different methods, of which the cluster method is often used (Mieczyslaw & Banaœ, 2016). A few typical cases are the electricity business sector. Providing electricity to customers today is placed in a competitive context. Electricity suppliers need accurate information about the actual behavior of customers to establish commercial offers. Cluster analysis is based on data on the amount of electricity consumed by

Customer segmentation is a useful technique used in this case (Chicco Gianfranco, 2012).

In the field of natural resource studies, the complexity of land use patterns today is a challenge for researchers. One solution to this problem is to perform spatial aggregation based on conventional grids or administrative units such as countries. However, this method smooths out many regional differences and creates a homogeneous map of the world. Dietrich et al. (2013) used a clustering method that reduces information loss by selecting an appropriate aggregation sample. Phan Nguyen Hong Ngoc et al. (2017) used a clustering method to assess salinity in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, Vietnam. The cluster analysis results grouped 18 monitoring wells into 3 clusters that characterize the water quality of the monitoring wells (agricultural activities, industrial activities, and salinity) based on the similarity of the dataset.

In the field of wireless sensor networks (WSN), clustering is a particularly useful technique to achieve goals such as maximizing network lifetime and achieving energy efficiency. Wireless sensor networks are collections of wireless nodes that are often randomly deployed in a targeted area in constantly changing environments. These nodes can sense, process, and forward data to neighboring nodes and base stations. These small devices have limitations such as small memory, low computation, low processing power, and low power (usually battery powered). Due to limited resources, typically scarce battery power, these wireless nodes are grouped into clusters for energy-efficient communication. In hierarchical clustering schemes have gained great interest to minimize energy consumption. Hierarchical schemes are often classified into cluster-based and mesh-based approaches. In cluster-based approaches, nodes are grouped into clusters, where the resource sensing node is designated as the cluster head (Bilal et al., 2017).

2.2.3.2. Studies related to livelihood groups (clustering method)

Livelihoods and agricultural change across Southeast Asia have been explored for decades. However, there remain gaps in knowledge about current livelihood strategies and land dependence in these areas.

previously inaccessible to academic research. A study by Laura et al. (2018) in Myanmar using clustering techniques yielded some results: households engaged in six relatively distinct livelihood strategies: predominantly agricultural, agricultural and forestry, wage labor, remittance-based, tree planting, or self-employment. The study found significant income inequality across clusters. This finding points to differential vulnerabilities associated with livelihood strategies that were pre-determined by climate risks, changing land tenure regimes, and labor market forces. Using a clustering algorithm, Elodie et al. (2010) examined the impact of war on the livelihood portfolio and welfare outcomes of rural households in Kosovo. By grouping households with similar livelihood activities, the study finds evidence of a relationship between families' war experiences and their livelihood choices, and that exposure to war has different impacts on household welfare depending on the livelihood portfolio adopted.

Water resources planning and management are fundamental to food security, environmental conservation, economic development and livelihoods. In complex basins such as the Indus Basin, water is used by different land cover and land use. Cheema & Bastiaanssen (2010) used spatial clustering techniques to classify 27 land classes to support water analysis, management, and identification of suitable crops and rotations.

Thi Thu Huong Hoang et al. (2020) used cluster analysis to assess the impact of tourism development on the livelihoods of households in the northern highlands of Vietnam. The results showed that the extent to which households participate in tourism and the income from tourism varied greatly. In general, three types of households can be clustered: full-time agricultural households; limited agricultural households with some involvement in tourism; and households whose main livelihood activity is tourism. Households were grouped into three clusters based on the variables: number of household members participating in tourism, income from tourism, and investment in tourism.

Øystein et al. (2013) conducted a study on household livelihoods in developing countries Bolivia, Nepal and Mozambique. Using a cluster approach, the authors identified five main livelihood strategies pursued by households. Group 1 was small-scale farmers; group 2 was large-scale farmers.

large scale; group 3 is off-farm workers; group 4 is livestock breeders and non-agricultural workers; group 5 is business operators. Also based on livelihood strategies for grouping, Rui Sun & cs. (2019) surveyed 2,042 households in rural China and divided them into 4 groups. Of which, agricultural households are low-income households due to dependence on agricultural production and lack of assets necessary to develop livelihood activities; self-employed households have higher incomes than agricultural households; non-labor households are households that do not depend on production activities, this is a group of households whose income is mainly from remittances, pensions, and subsidies and are burdened by illness and an aging population; Group 4 is wage-employed households that bear a heavy burden of educating children.

2.2.4. Gaps in research on the impact of tourism development on farmers' livelihoods

Based on the results of the overview of domestic and foreign studies related to the impact of tourism development on farmers' livelihoods, it shows that:

Firstly , domestic and foreign studies have analyzed the impacts of tourism development on household livelihoods, however, studies often only focus on the impacts of tourism development on certain elements of livelihoods, for example: livelihood capital, livelihood strategies, livelihood outcomes, etc. There has been no study that has focused on comprehensively analyzing the impacts of tourism development on all components of farmer household livelihoods.

Second, previous studies have used cluster methods to divide households into groups, depending on the level of involvement in the main livelihood. The factors used to divide households into groups are usually the duration of activities, the number of employees, or income from livelihoods. However, few studies have combined cluster methods with discriminant analysis to investigate the existence of significant differences between groups in terms of independent variables, and to determine which independent variables are the main causes of differences between groups.

Third, if in studies on the impact of climate change on household livelihoods, livelihood vulnerability indices are calculated to measure the level of livelihood vulnerability to climate change, then in studies on the impact of tourism development on household livelihoods, no

What indicators have been estimated to measure the impact of tourism development on livelihoods?

Fourthly, the author proposes the study in the context of Dien Bien province being a mountainous province, where people's lives, especially those of ethnic minorities, are still difficult. Dien Bien province has the potential to develop many types of tourism, with different levels of tourism development in different areas. In recent years, for many farming households, tourism has become an alternative livelihood to traditional agriculture; in addition, tourism has created jobs, increased income, helped preserve the culture of ethnic minorities, contributed to the protection of historical sites, etc. However, tourism development in Dien Bien province has also shown many negative impacts on nature, causing pollution, increasing living costs, etc.

Thus, the research topic on the impact of tourism development on the livelihood of farmers has been studied by many domestic and foreign authors in different scopes and aspects. However, there are still some gaps that need to be further studied as the reasons stated above. Therefore, the study of the impact of tourism development on the livelihood of farmers in Dien Bien province is necessary. The research aspects of the Thesis on science and practice are highly independent and do not overlap with any research work at home and abroad in terms of objectives, content, location, and time of research. The theoretical and practical bases of the research works have been studied, synthesized, inherited, clarified, and further developed by the author in his thesis, in order to ensure scientific, practical, and logical nature.

2.3. LESSONS LEARNED FROM THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL BASIS FOR RESEARCHING THE IMPACT OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT ON FARMERS' LIVELIHOODS IN DIEN BIEN PROVINCE

Tourism is increasingly becoming an important economic sector due to its employment creation and poverty reduction in rural areas of developing and underdeveloped countries. Tourism is recognized as a major source of economic development, especially in poor countries. The value chain and the relationship of tourism with economic sectors such as agriculture, construction, public services and transportation have significantly impacted the livelihoods of local communities. Researching theories on the impact of tourism development on household livelihoods and synthesizing previous studies in the world and Vietnam can draw some lessons.

Experience for studying the impact of tourism development on household livelihoods in Dien Bien province.

- Researching the impact of tourism development on the livelihood of local communities means researching the change in the livelihood capital of farming households when tourism appears in the locality. Human capital, social capital, natural resources, infrastructure, and finance are all affected by tourism development in both positive and negative ways.

- Positive impacts of tourism development on the livelihoods of farming households such as: raising awareness and skills of local people; increasing income, creating jobs; preserving local cultural heritage; cultural exchange between local people and tourists; improving the environmental quality of tourist areas, protecting the lives of animals and plants; promoting the completion of economic infrastructure such as public transport networks, electricity and water networks, mass media in rural areas, etc.

- Negative impacts of tourism development on the livelihoods of farmers: pressure on the environment as well as infrastructure; loss of traditional culture and weakening of social connections; emergence of social evils; unfair distribution of benefits, especially for indigenous people; increased cost of living, etc.

- The impacts of tourism development on livelihood outcomes such as job creation, income, improvement of facilities, etc. are specifically quantified.

- The comparative method is often used to analyze the impact of tourism development on farmers' livelihoods. In particular, authors often compare changes in livelihoods before and after tourism development; compare groups of farmers closely related to tourism activities, groups of households related to tourism activities and groups of households engaged in traditional agricultural activities.

- The clustering method is a popular technique for data analysis used in many fields: medicine, biology, marketing, economics, finance, etc. Clustering is the process of classifying data points into specific groups. In which, data in the same group must have similar attributes. The goal of clustering is to find similar data groups. In livelihood research, the clustering method is used to classify household groups. Variables commonly used for clustering are: livelihood strategies, income levels, expenditure levels, assets, etc.

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