The Citizen and Urban Lifestyle (A Case Study in a Poor Community near the Dike Edge of Red River - Hanoi)

Abstract

This article examines the real life of a community in Gam Cau Street, Phuc Xa Precinct, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi. Gam Cau Hamlet is widely considered as an underworld with many criminal activities and a host of other complicated social problems. The dwellers of this hamlet include the destitute and the laborers who migrate in from rural areas to Hanoi to try and earn an income. They maintain their rural homesteads and work in the urban environment, which encompasses a strongly contrasting coexistence of different phenomena and principles. In the face of the rapid urbanization, many traditional family relationships are increasingly stressed to the point of breaking. As a result, community members are increasingly relying on each other. Social capital between fellow-countrymen is providing an important solution to help them cope with their difficulties and to reduce the stresses of poverty. Social capital is helping to fill the family void felt by the members of this community and contributes to maintaining relative order.