Internal Migration and Development in Vietnam

Abstract

This article is a step toward understanding the nature of the interrelationship between population movement and development as Vietnam continues to move toward intensive market reforms. Underutilized tabulations from the 1989 census and national statistical data on characteristics of provinces were explored to gain insights into the roles of development in interprovincial migration within a context of institutional intervention. The overall results of OLS regression indicate that more developed provinces attracted higher volumes of inmigrants, whereas less developed provinces produced more outmigrants, other things being equal. Most of the migrants, especially females, moved to more urbanized and industrialized areas, regardless of their origin home provinces. The government's organized population movements towards remote resettlement areas were costly from the view of the migrants. The study results suggest the importance of interpreting population movement in Vietnam within the broader context of its current transition to a market economy. Government key-policy deliberations must include careful attention to how migration relates to long-term national development.

Application of System Dynamics to Evaluate the Social and Economic Benefits of Infrastructure Projects

“…However, a major issue is that young people tend to move to big cities in order to seek jobs to improve their income [57]. Increasing the GDP per capita for local people can be an alternative solution that reduces this trend and preserves the labour supply.…”

Understanding the lived experiences and identities of young rural to urban migrant workers in Vietnam

“…Historians and researchers summarise the contemporary history of internal migration in Vietnam in four periods (see Dang, Goldstein, & McNally, 1997;Dang et al, 2003;Desbarats, 1987;Forbes, 1996; H. X. Zhang, Kelly, Locke, Winkels, & Adger, 2006): the French colonial period; the civil and Indochina Wars (also known as the Vietnam War) from 1954 to1975; the post-war reconstruction period, between 1975 and 1986; and the post-1986 reform period known as Doimoi (Dang et al, 1997;H.…”

“…Zhang, Kelly, Locke, Winkels, & Adger, 2006): the French colonial period; the civil and Indochina Wars (also known as the Vietnam War) from 1954 to1975; the post-war reconstruction period, between 1975 and 1986; and the post-1986 reform period known as Doimoi (Dang et al, 1997;H. X. Zhang et al, 2006).…”

“…During the French colonial period, there were relatively large flows of people moving across provinces in three directions: rural to urban migration, usually undertaken by people without land ownership; waged labour movement from rural villages to the plantation and mining zones operated by the French; and seasonal movement of peasants between rural areas during harvesting seasons for temporary, daily-waged jobs (Dang et al, 1997). 5 Shortly after Vietnam reclaimed its independence from the French colony in 1954, the country was divided into two halves, the North and the South, at the 17 degree parallel.…”

“…This made people's movement across regions easier and cheaper. Such structural reforms have accentuated the diversity of opportunities among regions and provinces (Dang et al, 1997), and facilitated economic migration across regions, especially from rural to urban areas in Vietnam in the past few decades.…”