Assessment for Chinese in Vietnam

Risk Assessment | Analytic Summary | References

Risk Assessment

The Chinese in Vietnam do not have any of the factors encouraging rebellion or protest. The Chinese are well integrated into Vietnamese society. There is no history of persistent protest or rebellion; there is little support from kindred elsewhere for such activities. Furthermore, the government of Vietnam does not activity discriminate against or repress the group. More than 400,000 Chinese fled the country in the late 1970s but they are unlikely to return as they have settled in China and other Southeast Asian and Western countries. The Chinese remain economically advantaged in relation to the Kinh. This situation will likely continue unless there are reversals in Vietnam's economic and political liberalization programs. Links between the Hoa and the overseas Chinese community have helped to promote Vietnam's economic growth and could help assuage any potential economic downturn.

Analytic Summary

The Chinese are reportedly dispersed across the country, although there are reported to be up to half a million Chinese residing in Ho Chi Minh City.

There is limited information available about the cultural characteristics of the Chinese Vietnamese. They speak Mandarin but many are also likely to speak Vietnamese. Referred to as the Hoa in Vietnamese, the Chinese are Buddhists and they are physically distinguishable from the Vietnamese, who are referred to as the Kinh.

The Chinese immigrated to Vietnam in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Prior to the 1975 reunification of North and South Vietnam, most Chinese resided in the south, especially around Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City). The southern Chinese were primarily engaged in commerce and they were economically advantaged, partially due to their favored status under French colonial rule. In the north, the Hoa were mostly rural peasants who lived in areas that bordered China.

The 1975 victory of the communist North Vietnam adversely affected the status of the Chinese. All private trade within the country was banned in 1978. Many Hoa businessmen were sent to populate and cultivate land in areas known as New Economic Zones (NEZ). During 1978, the Chinese held several protests in Ho Chi Minh City against the relocations to the NEZs and also to press for Chinese citizenship (PROT75X = 3). The 1979 China-Vietnam border war worsened relations between the Hoa and Kinh communities as some Chinese were viewed as supporting the PRC.

Some prosperous Chinese chose to leave Saigon prior to the fall of South Vietnam but the major outflow occurred between 1979 and 1981. Many Hoa were among the thousands of Vietnamese boat people who were fleeing the economic and political reconstruction under the Orderly Departure Program. More than 200,000 Chinese left Vietnam for Hong Kong and other Southeast Asian countries during 1979. By 1981, some 227,000 Chinese refugees had been accepted by the PRC alone. Hundreds of thousands of other Hoa and Kinh boat people were to reside in refugee camps in Hong Kong and other South East states for up to two decades after fleeing Vietnam in the late 1970s.

Since the early 1980s, political, economic, and cultural restrictions against the Chinese have slowly been lessened. In 1982, for instance, a law was passed which recognized the Hoa as Vietnamese citizens that possess the rights of all other citizens. Restrictions were still maintained on Chinese employment in the security sphere (e.g., armed forces). All employment restrictions were removed in 1986. The Chinese were able to expand their economic influence after Vietnam launched an economic liberalization program late in the decade. Reports indicate that the economically advantaged Chinese control up to 50% of local commercial activities in Ho Chi Minh City.

In the mid-1990s, all official policies that limited the participation of the Chinese in the political sphere were lifted. They possess the same rights as the country's other citizens.

There are no known Chinese political, economic, or cultural organizations that are actively pursuing group interests. There have been no reports of tense relations between the Hoa and the Kinh from 1998-2003.

The relationship between the Chinese and state authorities has vastly improved since the late 1970s. The improvement in the status of the Chinese has also been mirrored in the China-Vietnam relationship. Bilateral trade is an important source of revenue for Vietnam; in 1999, trade between the two countries was valued at $1.5 billion, up from $1 billion the previous year, The Hoa have also been critical in helping to draw in foreign investment from other Southeast Asian countries.

References

Amer, Rames (1997), AManaging Ethnic Conflict and Ethnic Relations: A Case Study of Vietnam=s Chinese Minority@, paper presented at the annual convention of the International Studies Association, Toronto, Canada, March.

Amer, Rames (1996), AVietnam=s Policies and the Ethnic Chinese since 1975", Sojourn, 11:1, pp. 76-104.

The Europa Yearbook, Far East and Australasia 1993.

Far Eastern Economic Review, 1990-93.

Keesings Record of World Events, 1990-93.

Nexis Library Information, 1990-2003.

Phase I, Minorities at Risk, overview compiled by Monty G. Marshall, 06/89.