International migration - a household survival strategy in coastal communities in Ha Tinh province

Abstract

Many studies have shown that the decision to migrate as a survival strategy in areas facing political conflicts, climate change, and severe scarcity of natural resources is an urgent need. In 2016, the Formosa phenomenon occurred in the communes of Thach Ha district, Ha Tinh province, which caused thousands of workers to lose their jobs and have to find other livelihoods by migrating. In recent years, the cross-border labor migration in Vietnam, especially the migration of undocumented workers, is attracting researchers’ attention. This article describes the role of migration for people in the North Central Coast of Vietnam. Based on the results of the field survey through in-depth interviews in Thach Long, Thach Tri, and Thach Van communes in Thach Ha district, Ha Tinh province, the author points out the push and pull factors of migration, forms of labor migration, and results of livelihood strategies of local households in the current social context. In addition to improving and changing the quality of household resources, labor migration also creates diversified and effective household livelihood restructuring. However, no strategy is considered sustainable and migrant workers are always faced with the possibility of failure and with challenges from their illegal status.