Urbanization And Rural Development In Vietnam S Mekong Delta

This book is one of the first ethnographies written on the life of farmers in rural Southern Vietnam since the economic reform in the 1980s. It investigates how social, economic and political factors affect the farmers’ life in the Mekong Delta in the late socialist era with a particularly focus on the family, which serves as the basic and most significant social unit for the farmers. Dealing with classical anthropological topics of kinship and family, the book examines them as dynamic institutions. With vivid illustrations of the village life, family farming, education of children, jobs outside of farming and everyday politics, it presents new and different pictures of the current Vietnamese family under rapid social changes. The book will contribute to the current ethnographical research in Vietnam and Southeast Asia and also be of particular interest to those working on society and culture in the geographical region from broader disciplines. It will also appeal to readers who are interested in such topics as late socialism, social transformation, and rural development.

Since the mid-1980s, Vietnam has experienced remarkable economic, political, and social change. This is the first study in English to focus on rural Vietnam — where nearly 80 per cent of its people live, much of its economic production occurs, and political upheavals earlier this century changed the course of history. Analyzing the impact of economic liberalization on the countryside, the contributors note that despite significant improvements in real income for most rural Vietnamese, poverty is still pronounced and socio-economic inequality appears to be growing. The poorest now appear to have less access to educational and health services. Environmental conditions also pose significant problems. Highlighting the dynamic political scene in Vietnam, the contributors also consider the interplay between national policymaking and local pressures and activity.

Lack of access to clean water is an urgent problem in developing countries, including Vietnam. This book investigates the 'everyday politics' of domestic water supply and sanitation in the rural Mekong Delta. It offers new theoretical perspectives on policy-making in Vietnam, as well as the cultural aspects of globalization. The book shows that policy practices have to be understood as mechanisms for the (re-)production of a political order, manifest in the cultural and social properties of the Vietnamese state. It provides a critical perspective on donor support to Vietnamese water policy and practice. (Series: ZEF Development Studies - Vol. 20)

Socioeconomic Renovation in Viet Nam: The origin, evolution and impact of Doi Moi