Paper short abstract:

Recent reforms of migration and residency policy in Vietnam claims to meet the needs of a modern mobile workforce and overcome years of social exclusion of migrant workers. Current research suggests that the Residence Law of 2020 will need to be accompanied by further reforms in other areas.

Paper long abstract:

Since the 1980s, Vietnam has experienced a sustained wave of migration from rural to urban areas. Opportunities for higher incomes and career advancement, as well as educational opportunities have drawn large numbers of people away from agriculture and the rural economy towards the cities. Many migrants find work in the informal sector, where they often experience wages and working conditions that are inferior to permanent urban residents.

Official policy towards migration has gradually shifted from outright opposition towards a more flexible approach, but migrants still face numerous official barriers in their attempts to live and work in the city. For many years, the migrant experience has been defined by the system of household registration, or ho khau, which tied citizens to a specific location, typically the place of their birth. Pressure from migrants, coupled with considerable tolerance by the authorities in the face of strong demand for labour in the urban areas, has seen evolution of the system over time, most recently the adoption of the Residence Law of 2020

This paper examines the reform of residency policy and the likelihood that it can meet the needs of a fast-changing and increasingly sophisticated society and economy. Initial findings suggest that while the new system offers significant benefits to migrants, including streamlined registration processes an end to paper-based certificates, without further reforms in other sectors it will not be sufficient to overcome the significant marginalization experienced by many migrants.