La République socialiste du Vietnam et le don diasporique

Abstract

Aid transfers are highly developed in Vietnamese society. They take place not only within national borders but also abroad. The Vietnamese in the diaspora look towards their homeland where they have family and cultural ties. Whether out of moral obligation, self-interest, recognition or patriotism, most send gifts and currency (remittances and investments) homewards. In the post-war decade (1975-1985), diasporic generosity mainly worked by sending packets to improve the recipients’ standard of living, who were back then plagued by extreme poverty. In the following years, Vietnam’s opening up to globalization led to diversified generosity channels, mostly financial transfers. Initially obstructed by ideological principles, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) engaged with the diaspora to channel their generosity towards its economic goals and nation-building. It thus interfered with personal networks and the complex social logic that structures the gifting culture in order to give it a political dimension. By analysing the diversity and complexity of the gifting culture and its evolutions, this article shows how these transfers go beyond the sole economic sphere but actually shape the imagination, redefine the relationship between the gifting and the gifted, and sheds light onto the ambiguity of party-state and diaspora relations.

Keywords

• Việt Kiều
• diaspora
• Vietnam
• Vietnamese party-state
• gifting culture
• currency