Cross-Border Ethnic Relations at Vietnam-China Border Markets since 1990

At the Vietnamese-Chinese border, markets serve as places not only for exchanging and purchasing goods but also for socio-cultural exchanges among ethnic groups on both sides of the border. The Vietnamese economic renovation in the late 1980s and the process of normalizing Vietnam-China relations in1990 have contributed to the development of the market system at the borderline between these two countries, meeting the commodity trade needs of involved ethnic groups in the region and the surrounding areas, promoting cultural exchange, and maintaining and expanding kinship relations and friendship between the ethnic groups on both sides of the border. This article explores the cross-border ethnic relationships shown in trading, exchanging goods, and developing social networks of ethnic minorities in two typical border markets - Loc Binh market in Lang Son’s Loc Binh district and Can Cau commune market in Lao Cai’s Si Ma Cai district - thereby clarifying the dynamics of ethnic relations in the Vietnam-China border area since 1990.

ethnic relations, cross-border relations, border markets, Vietnam-China border