Migration, poverty and development: A new monograph by Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Chinh

Migration is a constant in the history of Vietnam. Over the past half century, Vietnam has undergone many economic and social changes. The transition from a planned economy to a socialist-oriented market economy has also led to changes in migration patterns and forms, in which state-organized migration to regulate population density to serve the development of economic zones has gradually been replaced by forms of free migration or migration associated with regional development projects. Along with the rapid urbanization process, the trend of migration from rural to urban areas has strongly developed.

There have been many studies on population trends in Vietnam since the second half of the 20th century. However, most of the existing studies often approach migration from a macro perspective, using quantitative information drawn from large-scale nationwide surveys, such as population censuses, living standards surveys, labor surveys, and mid-term population surveys. These studies mainly consider migration as demographic flows, analyzing data on departure and arrival locations, age, gender, employment, income, and the impact of migration flows, thereby proposing labor and employment policies for the state and localities. There have not been many studies that approach migration from the perspective of insiders, listening to their life stories, providing readers with a close-up view of their lives, jobs, and motivations for different forms of migration. Therefore, the monograph “Migration, Poverty, and Development” by Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Chinh, published by the Social Sciences Publishing House in 2021 at the request of the State, can be considered an important contribution to the field of migration studies and fills the gaps in previous studies. This study is based on ethnographic fieldwork and qualitative analysis to bring new insights into migration and its relationship to poverty and development through the perspective of migrants themselves. As the author pointed out, the book is not intended to be a comprehensive analysis of the history of migration in Vietnam, but rather a cross-section to delve into the issues arising from each form of migration.

The 426-page book focuses on three major migration trends in Vietnam from the 1960s to the present. These are: (1) the migration trend to build new economic zones under the planned economy period (1960-1990); (2) the migration trend from rural to urban areas from the 1990s to the first decades of the 21st century; and (3) the migration trend of ethnic minority groups from mountainous areas to urban areas and cross-border labor migration in the northern region. The research results are presented in 7 major chapters:

Each chapter of the book reflects the results of a very elaborate field study with a rich source of data collected and processed very scientifically and systematically. Readers can learn many things from this monograph, including the application and development of migration research theories to the study of each specific type of migration in Vietnam. Regarding the migration trend to build a new economy,Regional Economic Development Theoryand the role of the state in regulating population in Soviet Economics has been used to explain the policies, directions of movement, activities and organization of life of migrants. In particular, the analysis based on dry statistics has been supplemented by the life stories of the migrants themselves, an approach to the history of migration from memory, contributing to reviving a romantic revolutionary period in which workers from densely populated areas were mobilized to deserted areas to establish businesses and develop new economic zones for the country. For the movement of free migration from rural and mountainous areas to urban areas, the author uses Lee's migration theory (1966) to analyzepush and pull factorsas the main drivers of this migration movement. However, the author also emphasizes that besides considering the pull and push factors, the migration process is also influenced by the obstacles (obstacles), including migration distance, traffic conditions, and legal regulations that a study of migration should not ignore. It is noteworthy that when analyzing the lives and work of migrants in urban spaces, the author pointed outMigrant survival strategiesis “maximizing income and minimizing expenses”. This strategy is the main factor governing the patterns of lifestyle, work and spending of migrant workers. When studying the migration trend of ethnic minority groups from mountainous areas to industrial zones, to urban areas or across borders in search of work, the author pointed out the importance ofSocial capital theory and migrants' social networks, is considered to have an important influence on the success or failure of trips. The author believes that social networks are a complex of relationships between individuals, between individuals and communities or social organizations in which each individual plays a role as a link, linked by different relationships such as friendship, economic exchange, influence and common interests. In the case of Vietnam, family, clan, ethnic, friendly, neighborly, and fellow countrymen relationships are often seen as open connections for relationships in social networks. Social networks can create conditions for migrants to reduce job brokerage costs, avoid risks and create necessary conditions and opportunities in the lives of new migrants. The author also notes that in addition to social networks, migrants may also have other connections outside of this network, such as migrants' relationships with other social institutions and organizations, government or non-governmental organizations, etc.

For ethnology-anthropology, migration research is not only meaningful in exploring demographic movements but also contributes to understanding changes in lifestyle, language and cultural acculturation. If migration is viewed as a change in living space, a process of moving from one locality, one land, one ecosystem to another within a certain period of time, then it is in that process that residents of a culture have the opportunity to contact and learn from other cultures, and thereby receive and assimilate new elements into their culture, at the same time influencing their lifestyle, language and culture on the residents with whom they have contacted and lived. This is of particular importance to ethnologists-anthropologists, it helps them explore the cultural identity of communities or ethnic groups through migration history, the process of language and human contact. Studying migration can help to understand many unknown and unexplained things in the culture and language of an ethnic group or community.

With its strength in exploiting and applying theory to the study of each specific type of migration, this monograph can be a valuable source of reference for researchers, graduate students and students of anthropology, sociology, history and economics who are looking for directions for their research on migration. In addition, labor and social policy makers can find important implications for practical solutions. Migration, in any form, can be considered a survival strategy of workers to change living conditions, improve household income, and is an indicator to understand social change, so it should be viewed as a positive move. Moreover, migration is an inseparable part of development. In addition to the positive impacts, migration also creates negative impacts on the natural and human ecosystems, especially the competition between migrants and local people in exploiting natural resources, social services and housing, thus easily causing conflicts between migrants and local people. Intervention solutions need to pay attention to the harmony of interests instead of imposition, while also paying attention to social security solutions for migrants, including health services, education, housing and social banking.