Despite the rapid transformation in the urban landscape of Vietnam, a simple and uncritical application of the 'gentrification' concept out of the specific spatial and temporal context of the country is problematic. Not only does the phenomenon progress in a highly compressed temporal scale compared with similar processes in cities in the Global North, it is also embedded within a paradigmatic shift of the entire socio-economic system. This paper attempts to explore the process of urban redevelopment in Vietnam and critically examines whether this concept, with its origin from the Global North, is capable of offering a conceptually robust lens through which the processes and outcomes of redevelopment can be consistently analysed. This helps to shed light on our understanding of the usefulness of the concept of gentrification in Vietnam and in transitional economies in Asia in general.
a b s t r a c tThis paper discusses the housing situation of urban dwellers in Hanoi in the transition period from state housing provision to privatisation and market-driven housing. Based on field studies in a residential area of Hanoi with Soviet-style apartment blocks, the paper shows how new housing policies are contributing to strengthening inequality as 'winners' and 'losers' emerge. The entrepreneurial, the better off, and those of higher social status have encountered greater opportunities to improve their economy and housing situation. The less well-off residents, who typically have a lower social status, are losing out under the new housing policy. Unable to rely on state provision of housing, and at times denied the possibility of buying their apartments, they face an uncertain future as plans to upgrade the areas may well force them out. The youth are increasingly facing differentiated opportunities mainly dependent on the extent of parental financial support. Youth from better off households have access to housing purchased for them by their parents whereas youth from poorer families have to settle for long-term living in overcrowded parental homes. The paper shows how despite moving towards a more market-oriented economy, the new housing system is still built on old ideologies and supports the old hierarchy. Inequality is not just emerging between different housing areas but also within them.
This paper presents selected findings from the project 'Privatisation of public housing in Hanoi, the impacts on housing quality and social equality' which was financed by the Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA). The project analyses the consequences of privatisation on the housing conditions of those tenants and owners who live in privatised and partly privatised multi-family apartment buildings. This paper focuses on the consequences of privatisation on the housing and living conditions of tenants compared to those of owners, and presents findings. The paper concludes that privatisation actually helps to strengthen the existing inequity between different social groups, in the sense that the privatisation policy supports senior government officials, many of whom are well situated both financially and socially, and ignores poor and lowincome households. Privatisation also contributes to enhancing the inequality between better-off housing areas and poorer ones. Mixed ownership, and the lack of regulations about the duties and rights of owners and tenants after privatisation, also lead to serious degradation of common areas in all residential blocks.
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