Hanoi’s Informal Sector and the Vietnamese Economy: A Case Study of                 Roving Street Vendors

Jensen, Rolf; Peppard, Donald M.

doi:10.1177/002190960303800104

Cited by 33 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Indeed, until recently, the Vietnam Household Living Standards Survey (VHLSS) conducted by the General Statistics Office (GSO) was the only nationally representative statistical survey providing an approximate measure of the informal economy (but no direct measure of the informal sector). • Secondly, most of these studies are based on ad-hoc partial surveys that only cover a few hundred businesses concentrated in certain activity sectors (for street vendors; see Jensen and Peppard 2003) and certain provinces that differ depending on the study in question. The most ambitious survey of small and medium-sized enterprises in Vietnam is managed by the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) Downloaded by [UQ Library] at 04:39 19 November 2014 and the University of Copenhagen.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

To be or not to be registered? Explanatory factors behind formalizing non-farm household businesses in Vietnam

Cling

Razafindrakoto

Roubaud

2012

Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy

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This article sets out to investigate the reasons why some household businesses decide to register and become formal (while others do not) in order to shed light on the origins of informality. We use qualitative as well as quantitative data on household businesses (HB) derived from first-hand representative surveys implemented in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The study reveals that although most of the informal businesses operate 'illegally', this is more due to unclear registration legislation than the mark of a deliberate intention to evade the economic regulations. Among the different factors that influence the registration decisions, the reason for setting up the business appears to be a determining one: the more it is a real choice (businesses set up to be independent or to follow a family tradition) and the less a constraint (set up for lack of a job alternative), the more the HB is inclined to be registered. Furthermore, the analysis highlights that incentives do prove decisive insofar as the probability of having a formal business is greater among HB heads who consider that registration provides at least partial protection from corruption. Besides, access to information, the market and large business orders also drive the informal entrepreneurs to register. These results stress the need for clarification of the legal framework as well as incentive policies in order to address the issue of informality.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

To be or not to be registered? Explanatory factors behind formalizing non-farm household businesses in Vietnam

Cling

Razafindrakoto

Roubaud

2012

Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy

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“…1). The porter population is concentrated between the ages of 30 and 44, with an average age of 37, which is relatively old compared with the overall migrant population of Hanoi (Li, 1996; Truong et al , 1996; Dang et al , 1997, 2003; Jensen and Peppard, 2003; GSO and UNFPA, 2005). However, female porters are considerably older than their male counterparts, with an average age of 40.…”

Section: Location and Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although many industrial jobs involve low‐skilled women workers, this type of employment is most feasible for those who are young and single (ActionAid, 2005). However, employment opportunities for women have also increased in the informal sector, adding to the increasing rural–urban migration for a wider group of women (GSO and UNFPA, 2006a; ADB, 2005; World Bank, 1999, cited in Pham and Reilly, 2007; Dang et al , 2003; Goldstein et al , 1999; Truong et al , 1996; Jensen and Peppard, 2003). Women migrants tend to dominate in many occupations in the informal sector.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobile, flexible, and adaptable: female migrants in Hanoi's informal sector

Agergaard

Thao

2011

Population Space and Place

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Industrialisation and urban growth are constitutive aspects of Vietnam's new economy and are important driving forces behind increasing rural‐to‐urban migration. Growth in informal sector employment is a significant aspect of this development, which has provided for both male and female migrants, although they generally are engaged in different occupations. Based on a case study among porters at Hanoi's Long Bien Market, this paper examines rural‐to‐urban migrants' gendered migration practices. Two interrelated aspects of gendered migration practices are in focus: the role of migration networks and networking, and remittance practices. The paper is organised around why and how migrants have entered the informal labour market in Hanoi and how they make their livings there while also maintaining ties with their rural homes. In conclusion, we discuss how the migration networks and remittance practices of the female porters demonstrate a particular way of adapting to the migration process. Also, it is emphasised how women's flexible practices are facilitated by women's own village‐based networks. It is suggested that ‘in‐betweenness’, which stands for the simultaneous and overlapping presence of urban and rural spaces in migrants' lives, is an insightful way of comprehending the adaptation practices employed by female porters in Hanoi. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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“…Since then, both Hagen (2002) and Figuié and Moustier (2009) have made important contributions by assessing the consequences of supermarket development in Vietnam − with the former focusing to a large extent on food retailing innovation, and the latter analysing the risks and benefits that accompanied the supermarket revolution from the perspective of poor urban consumers. Similarly, Jensen and Peppard (2003; in a study of food buying habits in Hanoi have focused specifically on the fate of the street vendor, whilst Yang et al (2011) have assessed the competitiveness of foreign and domestic supermarket chains and argued that smaller Vietnamese retailers remained surprisingly competitive, partly due to the preference of many consumers for convenience and purchasing food close to their home. More comprehensively, Trung (2007, 2008;2011) have discussed the operation and evolution of domestic modern retailers, the structure and background of multinational competitors, and the transformation of Vietnamese consumers' shopping habits.…”

Section: Take Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

The emerging food retail structure of Vietnam

Nguyen

Wood

Wrigley

2013

International Journal of Retail &Amp; Distribution Management

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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to trace the modernisation of the retail structure of Vietnam from a closed market to one that is increasingly open to retail transnational corporation (TNC) entry and associated Western retail formats. Design/methodology/approach -The authors undertake this study of retail change through the analysis of a wide range of governmental and industry secondary data -much of which has not entered western academic debate given the challenges of access and translation. In doing so, this period of adaptation is related to well-known studies concerning the diffusion of western forms of retailing discussed across the social sciences. Findings -As a country encountering the third wave of supermarket proliferation within emerging markets, Vietnam's experience is found to broadly fit the models of retail foreign direct investment (FDI) entry and retail "modernisation" suggested by Natawidjaja et al. and Dries et al. The retail change process was affected by a slow, progressive creep of market liberalisation where, as late as 2009, a foreign partner could hold only up to 49 per cent of capital in a joint venture. While analysis of the evidence suggests some retailers flouted these laws or employed creative approaches to mitigating their effects, such regulations clearly underpinned a less intense initial influx of retail FDI than had been experienced elsewhere in Asia and maintained a high domestic ownership level in the retail market. Retail modernisation has intensified in recent years, with greater international entry, expansion and retail format proliferation diffusing from cities to more rural locations, though the top five grocery operators still account for less than 4 per cent of the grocery market. Originality/value -Studies within retail management of retail internationalisation have tended to focus on fully liberalised countries that have attracted high rates of retail capital. In contrast, this paper focuses on understanding the emergence of one of the countries somewhat later to these trends.

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Hanoi’s Informal Sector and the Vietnamese Economy: A Case Study of Roving Street Vendors

Cited by 33 publications

References 4 publications

To be or not to be registered? Explanatory factors behind formalizing non-farm household businesses in Vietnam

To be or not to be registered? Explanatory factors behind formalizing non-farm household businesses in Vietnam

Mobile, flexible, and adaptable: female migrants in Hanoi's informal sector

The emerging food retail structure of Vietnam

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