Internal Migration and Development in Vietnam

Abstract

This article is a step toward understanding the nature of the interrelationship between population movement and development as Vietnam continues to move toward intensive market reforms. Underutilized tabulations from the 1989 census and national statistical data on characteristics of provinces were explored to gain insights into the roles of development in interprovincial migration within a context of institutional intervention. The overall results of OLS regression indicate that more developed provinces attracted higher volumes of inmigrants, whereas less developed provinces produced more outmigrants, other things being equal. Most of the migrants, especially females, moved to more urbanized and industrialized areas, regardless of their origin home provinces. The government's organized population movements towards remote resettlement areas were costly from the view of the migrants. The study results suggest the importance of interpreting population movement in Vietnam within the broader context of its current transition to a market economy. Government key-policy deliberations must include careful attention to how migration relates to long-term national development.