In this research, remote sensing technology was used to evaluate urban development and its thermal characteristics through mapping impervious surfaces and evaluating thermal infrared images. The study is carried out in the northern part of Ho Chi Minh City, which is experienced an accelerated urban development since the end of 1980s. Landsat and Aster images were used to calculate the variation in urban impervious surfaces from 1989 to 2006. Thermal bands were processed to obtain land surface temperatures for investigating the urban heat island effect associated with increasing impervious surfaces both spatially and temporally.
