Presentation short abstract

My research in Suoi Bu, Vietnam, shows that domestic migration of the Hmong from highlands to lowlands is rooted in a government ban on swidden agriculture, market fluctuations, and new forms of debt, pushing Hmong households towards wet-rice cultivation and greater dependence on cash income.

Presentation long abstract

My research moves beyond conventional push and pull theory in migration studies to explore how structural changes, market fluctuations, and new forms of debt have driven Hmong households in Suoi Bu, Vietnam, into off-farm labor markets. Rather than simply identifying money as the main driving factor, the findings reveal that their labor migration from highlands to lowlands is associated with a government ban on swidden agriculture, their traditional livelihood practice. This ban has profoundly changed local ecology and the Hmong agricultural practices, pushing them towards wet rice cultivation and increasing dependence on modern inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, and mechanized tools. The village has undergone some transformative phases that reflect its gradual integration into capitalist markets: the shift from swidden to wet rice cultivation, and more recently, a transition from maize to cash crop cultivation. While swidden agriculture primarily required physical labor instead of monetary investment, wet rice, maize, and cash crop cultivation demand more crop varieties and chemical inputs. In addition, market fluctuations during the maize boom and new forms of debt, such as those incurred from house construction, have further increased reliance on cash income, making internal migration a necessary livelihood response. Research also shows that labor migration is considered an opportunity for youth to explore the lowlands and for Hmong women to gain financial autonomy. While a majority of participants viewed the transition towards labor migration as beneficial for household livelihoods, many also expressed concerns about rising divorce rates due to migration.