Now, the confusion of road traffic in big cities in Vietnam has become serious a large number of motorbikes as well as many cars run on the roads. The living standards have improved around the country. Skyscrapers have been constructed in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Hanoi has a modernized shopping mall looks like Singapore. However, the income disparities between the urban areas and the rural areas are still remarkable, though reduced. I saw squatters in Hanoi some years ago. Heavy inflation is ongoing: though the price of pho ga (chicken rice noodle soup) was 5 thousand dong in 1999, it is about 50 thousand dong in 2014 in Hanoi.
This book consists of three chapters. The first chapter describes the experience of visiting Vietnam as a tourist in the late of 1990s. Ho Chi Minh City, with its many pickpockets, motorbike robbers and street girls, was thrilling then.
The second chapter is on the “Vietnam boom” amongst Japanese people (and Japanese businesses) of the early 2000s. What effects will this boom have on the Vietnamese economy, society and culture?
The third chapter aims to apply the Japanese study of social class composition to Vietnamese society.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. A Sociological Insight into Vietnam
3. Japan in Vietnam: A Case Study of Japanese Globalization
3.1 Introduction
4. Social Class Composition in Contemporary Vietnam
Research Objectives and Themes
This work provides a comprehensive sociological examination of Vietnam's transition and its evolving relationship with Japan, focusing on socio-economic developments, the impact of Japanese investment, and the shifting social class structures in contemporary Vietnamese society.
- Historical and sociological insights into Vietnam's societal evolution.
- The dynamics of the "Vietnam boom" regarding Japanese tourism and business.
- Economic exchange, foreign direct investment, and the role of ODA.
- Analysis of social class composition and labor market characteristics.
- Comparisons of urban and rural socio-economic conditions in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Excerpt from the Book
A Night in Saigon
We arrived at Bach Dang Hotel, which is a middle-ranked hotel located near the Saigon River. The hotel is owned by a Japanese business. There was a Japanese staff, and some Vietnamese staff members spoke Japanese. Also, Japanese part-time waitresses worked in the restaurant. During the day they were teachers at a Japanese school or designers. Japanese businessmen were staying in the hotel, too. The Japanese businessmen were able to eat Japanese popular foods and read Japanese novels there.
We had dinner in the Vietnam House in Dong Khoi Street. There were many street vendor children wondering about. The restaurant served high class Vietnamese cuisine. The waiters wore black ao dai and the men wore hats. It is very rare to see men wear ao dai now. We listened to elegant traditional Vietnamese music and ate Vietnamese steam-pot.
When we left the restaurant, one local boy approached us. He showed a magazine to one of our groups. I thought he was a street vendor but that he was a suspicious looking boy. I shouted, "He's a pickpocket!" But, he escaped on the back of a motorbike. A professor had his wallet stolen which contained 30,000 yen and credit cards. Stealing accounts for 47.8% of the crime (14,080 cases in 1997 in Ho Chi Minh City). The unemployment rate was 7.04% in 1999 in Ho Chi Minh City, and the average income per month was 697.1 thousand dong (about 6,900 yen) in 1998 in the whole country.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The author reflects on his multiple visits to Vietnam since the late 1990s, contrasting his initial observations of a developing nation with subsequent rapid economic growth and infrastructural modernization.
2. A Sociological Insight into Vietnam: This chapter details the author's 1998 field research trip to Vietnam, exploring street-level interactions, the hospitality industry, and the complexities of socio-economic challenges like poverty and crime.
3. Japan in Vietnam: A Case Study of Japanese Globalization: This section investigates the "Vietnam boom," analyzing how Japanese tourism, business expansion, and Official Development Assistance have shaped economic relationships and cultural perceptions between the two nations.
3.1 Introduction: This subsection provides historical context regarding French and Japanese influences on Vietnam and introduces the phenomenon of increasing Japanese interest in the Vietnamese market.
4. Social Class Composition in Contemporary Vietnam: The final chapter applies Japanese sociological research methodologies to analyze the evolving social stratification, labor force distribution, and class structures in Vietnam at the end of the 2000s.
Keywords
Vietnam, Japan, Sociology, Social Class, Globalization, Foreign Direct Investment, Economic Reform, Doi Moi, Urbanization, Labor Market, Social Stratification, Tourism, Industrialization, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this book?
The book provides a sociological analysis of contemporary Vietnamese society through the lens of the author's extensive field experience and quantitative research on social stratification and Japanese-Vietnamese economic relations.
What are the central thematic fields covered?
The themes include the evolution of the Vietnamese economy, the impact of Japanese business and cultural influence, the challenges of rapid urbanization, and the changing structure of social classes.
What is the primary goal of the author's research?
The goal is to apply Japanese sociological methodologies to the Vietnamese context to better understand social change, economic shifts, and the emerging middle class.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author utilizes ethnographic observations from field trips, qualitative interview summaries, and the quantitative analysis of statistical data from sources like the Vietnamese Labor Force Survey.
What is covered in the book's main section?
The main part of the book explores specific case studies, such as Japanese business activities in industrial zones, the dynamics of Japanese language schools, and detailed statistical breakdowns of the Vietnamese labor force by industry and occupation.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Social Stratification, Vietnam, Japan, Globalization, Economic Reform, and Social Class Composition.
How does the author characterize the difference between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City?
The author identifies Ho Chi Minh City as a more commercial and industrial hub, while Hanoi is characterized by its role as the capital with a higher concentration of state sector employment, political institutions, and educational assets.
What does the author conclude about the "Vietnam boom" regarding Japanese influence?
The author concludes that while economic contributions are beneficial, they should aim for sustainable living standards and environmental protection rather than serving solely Japanese economic interests.
- Citar trabajo
- Ph.D Kazutaka Hashimoto (Autor), 2015, A Sociological Analysis of Vietnamese Society, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/286481
