Transport in transition:Doi moiand the consumption of cars and motorbikes in Hanoi

Abstract

The rapid developments in Vietnam since the economic reforms (doi moi) initiated in 1986 have led to a transformation of urban mobility. In less than 20 years, motorbike ownership in the country increased tenfold, and there are now 4 million motorbikes in Hanoi alone. While the two-wheelers dominate traffic, car ownership has increased rapidly in the last decade. This article approaches the consumption of cars and motorbikes in the Vietnamese capital from a social practice theory perspective. It particularly emphasises material conditions for practices in terms of systems of provision, available technology and infrastructure. This emphasis, the article argues, is necessary to account for large-scale changes in consumption in a context of rapid economic development. These conditions, however, have co-evolved with mobility practices and the local geography of consumption. Private cars in many ways represent a break with the dominant two-wheeled conditions and practices, but bring along social distinction, safety and comfort. In turn, a new automobility regime is emerging in the outskirts of Hanoi. The article analyses these material, social and bodily pillars of practices, and based on fieldwork in Hanoi approaches the changing urban mobility in the interplay between development and everyday life.

Hanoi on wheels: emerging automobility in the land of the motorbike

“…I will not speculate to what extent the system of moto-mobility should be considered as self-expanding, nor will I focus on how or whether it is expanding globally, 5 but will rather analyse the local materialisation of a mobility system. The social, cultural and material interlinkages of moto-mobility have fundamentally shaped Hanoi, from infrastructure through consumption geography to everyday practices (see Hansen 2015b). And just like Urry describes the car-driver, the motorbike-rider can usefully be conceptualised as a 'hybrid assemblage of specific human activities, machines, roads, buildings, signs and cultures of mobility' (Urry 2004, 26).…”

“…In Hanoi the car also locks out some of the old practices of the motorbike, such as driving from doorstep to doorstep, or stopping alongside the road to shop, eat or drink. And the narrow streets and large networks of alleyways make the city much easier to traverse on two wheels than on four (Hansen 2015b). In other words, the system of moto-mobility makes the car in many ways an inconvenient means of transportation.…”

“…Furthermore, while it is possible, and indeed increasingly popular among young people to leave Hanoi on a motorbike, it is hardly comfortable to drive long distances on the small vehicles. Particularly for long-distance spatial mobility, the car offers promises of comfort and safety where the two-wheeler cannot compete (Hansen 2015b). But again, the car is simultaneously a vehicle for and symbol of social mobility.…”

“…They are in many ways 'global capitalism on wheels' represented through different Asian and Italian motorbike brands and east Asian, european or American car brands. The new flows of goods associated with doi moi have been fundamental to the development of the current motorscape in Vietnam (Hansen 2015b). But the reforms involved much more than spatial movement of goods, they have indeed led to a renegotiation of the role of goods and private consumption in the development project of the country.…”

Staying Cool, Looking Good, Moving Around: Consumption, Sustainability and the ‘Rise of the South’

“…Being inside a car also allows you to stay white without protective gear, and to avoid ruining a nice appearance through dust, dirt and motorbike helmets. In Hanoi the car is even frequently seen as a 'healthy' transport option, allowing the driver to close the windows, turn on the air conditioner and escape the high levels of pollution in the streets (Hansen 2015b). …”