tailieunhanh - Mobile street vendors in Hanoi: Features and dynamics of a distinct socio economic group

In this article, I will present some results of my research about mobile street vendors in Hanoi. As street vendors have been extensively studied and analyzed in the social sciences(1) various concepts to describe street vendors emerged over time. | Mobile Street Vendors in Hanoi. Mobile Street Vendors in Hanoi: Features and Dynamics of a Distinct Socio-economic Group Lisa Barthelmes * Abstract: In this article, I will present some results of my research about mobile street vendors in Hanoi. As street vendors have been extensively studied and analyzed in the social sciences(1) various concepts to describe street vendors emerged over time. Although these analyses provide important insights and theoretical ideas on the topic of street vending, crucial aspects of mobile vendors’ lives are lacking. During fieldwork I found out that the usual theoretical concepts, classifications, and categories only partly apply to the everyday life and experiences of mobile street vendors in Hanoi. Thus, I want to add an anthropological perspective to the study of street vending by putting the vendors themselves at the center of my analysis. Key words: Mobile street vendors, Hanoi. Introduction While private petty trade in Hanoi is documented back to the era when the city was Vietnam's imperial capital (1010-1802), it has experienced significant changes during French colonial rule, the two Indochina wars and the high Socialist era. During the centrally planned economy (1954-1986), private trading activities were officially banned (Turner, 2009: 1212). Furthermore, commodity circulation was controlled through the household registration system which further hampered private vending activities (Abrami, 2002: 97). However, private petty trade persisted and even accelerated in rural and urban areas. After reunification in 1975, urban centers continued to grow and black market trade surged (Turner, 2009: 1212). Thus, since the legalization of private enterprises and trade after 1986’s doi moi reforms, “traders have [merely] continued to undertake the same tasks within a new [.] structure” (ibid: 1215). In the course of the Doi moi (renovation) reforms and decollectivization, use rights for agricultural land shifted back to .