Political and Economic Roles and Influences of Overseas Chinese (Người Hoa ở Việt Nam) in Vietnam from 1700 to 1975

Abstract

This research paper focuses on two objectives: firstly, it analyzes the historical development of overseas Chinese who settled in southern Vietnam; secondly, it examines the political and economic roles of overseas Chinese in different periods. Using historical methodology, the study synthesizes and analyzes both primary and secondary sources. Furthermore, it focuses on the history of various groups of overseas Chinese in southern Vietnam, and applies migration theory as a conceptual framework. The results show that the overseas Chinese who came to southern Vietnam were divided into three waves. The first wave consisted of the Ming mandarins and generals, who came after the collapse of the Ming dynasty, called "Minh Huong". They had an important role in pioneering South Vietnam to be port-polity for trading. The second group migrated during the colonial era, when French colonists brought them in to be a labour force in order to boost the colonial economy. The last group moved from North Vietnam after the Geneva agreement in 1954. Each group had a significant political and economic role in South Vietnam. However, the overseas Chinese had a different status that depended on the shifting politics in Vietnam.