Interrogating Dislocated Masculinities and HIV Vulnerabilities: A Case Study of Vietnamese Migrants Workers in Southern Laos

Abstract

Vietnamese migration is not a new phenomenon in Laos, but is particularly on the rise since the 1990s. While studies have mainly examined these mobilities with regards to issues of state sovereignty, little is known about the lived experiences of Vietnamese migrant workers in Laos. Drawing on ethnographic findings collected in 2018 in Savannakhet, in southern Laos, and during several years of field research carried out in this country, this paper explores the genealogies of migration paths and the sexual careers of Vietnamese male construction workers. The migration of these migrant workers, primarily driven by economic motives, heavily relies on their extended kinship and friendship networks. In Savannakhet, they create Vietnamese enclaves while legitimising their presence drawing on colonial stereotypes about Lao people. This new environment enhances their financial situations and increases their sexual freedom, consequently reconfiguring marital situations in ways that are closely tied to their socio-economic status. In turn, our study sheds light on the construction of dislocated masculinities while raising questions about HIV and STI vulnerabilities in cross-border migration in South-East Asia.

Keywords

• migration
• masculinity
• HIV vulnerabilities
• Vietnam
• Laos