Changes in the social distribution of wealth are among the most commented-upon consequences of Vietnam's transition from a centrally planned to a market economy. Yet the scope and significance of these impacts also are among the most difficult to assess. Based on research and analysis of recent conditions in Vietnam, this book provides a detailed description of social inequalities in Vietnam. Analysing evidence drawn from the northern uplands to the Mekong delta, it investigates the growth in disparities between rich and poor, urban and rural communities, and along regional, gender, and ethnic lines. The eleven chapters that make up the work provide critical insights into state policy, examining the adequacy of government responses and outlining local responses to social disadvantage.

This book is the outcome of a Vietnam Update conference on the topic “Social Differentiation in Vietnam”, which was held at the Australian National University in November 2003. The Vietnam Updates are an annual forum involving participants from Vietnam and other countries, whose objective is to discuss issues of significance to Vietnam's development orientation. The considerable turn-out and lively debate at the conference on social differentiation is one indicator of the urgency of this problem in present-day Vietnam.

Several features made the conference a unique contribution to exploring the extent and the implications of social inequalities in Vietnam. The paper-presenters came from seven different countries, allowing a scrutiny of the issues from a variety of perspectives. The conference involved Vietnamese state officials, Vietnam-based academics and participants originally from Vietnam, now living abroad, each of whom sees the issues facing their society in different ways. Such diversity in the speakers' backgrounds is representative of a trend towards increased decentralization in the social scientific study of Vietnam. The conference also showcased a number of different disciplinary perspectives and methodologies. Because they came from such diverse social scientific traditions the presenters were obliged to find a common language in which to share and defend their results and to reconcile the differences without recourse to disciplinary jargon.