Local Exchanges and Marketplace Trade of Water Buffalo in Upland Vietnam (Lao Cai Province)

Abstract

Historically, throughout many parts of northern upland Vietnam, water buffalo have been a vital resource for rural citizens, especially for small holder rice agriculturalists. In the case of ethnic minority Hmong farm households, water buffalo are their most highly treasured, essential asset. Buffalo serve multiple functions within their household economy, as well as maintaining an important role as ritual animals, markers of identity, and symbols of wealth and prestige. In this article, the author explores some of the approaches Hmong residents of Lao Cai province use to access and circulate these precious livestock. These transactions are embedded in numerous social, cultural and official institutions that set the guidelines by which trade is conducted, whether in the context of community-based or more “impersonal” marketplace trade. Moreover, Hmong residents’ ability to maintain access to buffalo through a diversity of approaches and options provides an important contribution to upland livelihood security. As water buffalo are among the most expensive purchases that Hmong households must make, localized approaches in particular assume a crucial function for the sustainability of upland livelihoods and in mitigating vulnerability.