To prepare for the construction of Son La hydropower, a large number of residents in the reservoir had to be relocated to other areas. The transition was not simply the change of residence, but also a series of changes in economic and cultural customs which had been formed and stabilized over many generations. Beyond the scope of this article, the authors mainly analyzed people's life situation and their economic activities in some hydropower resettlement areas in Song Ma district
estimated their advantages and difficulties
and thereby, proposed some solutions to the sustainable development of these resettlement areas.