Abstract
The land's natural resources are invaluable and a requisite for the existence and development of humans and other organisms on Earth. In recent years, under the strong impact of new directions in economic and social development, the demand for land has been increasing. The percentage of land used for residential living, transportation, irrigation and infrastructure tends to increase, while the share of agricultural land is continuously decreasing. Consequently, the allocation and efficient use of land is one of the most important concerns in order to enable sustainable development, environmental protection and ecology. Therefore, research to determine the volatility and changing trends in land use is necessary. This study uses remote sensing and GIS technology, combined with the Markov Chain to determine variation and forecast the changes in land use in the Y Yen district of the Nam Dinh province of Vietnam. This will create a basis for helping land managers grasp the situation in local land use management.