Cross-border ethnic relations of the Hoa ethnicity in Mong Cai city, Quang Ninh province after 1991

Abstract

Cross-border ethnic relations in the current context are complicated, which pose new issues in the socio-economic life of ethnic groups in border areas, especially among the Hoa ethnicity (ethnic Chinese) in Mong Cai city. Located in the Vietnam - China border area, Mong Cai used to be a crowded settlement of the Hoa and they have always maintained economic and commercial relations, consolidated and expanded social relations, and sustained cultural and religious activities with their ethnic counterparts across the border. Having undergone the vicissitudes of history, at present, the number of Hoa people in Mong Cai has significantly declined, but transnational ethnic relations have been restored and expanded, which have strongly impacted the economic life of the people. This article presents some features of the cross-border relationships of the Hoa in Mong Cai city, Quang Ninh province, and examines the influences of those relationships on the socio-economic development of border residents in the context of global integration.