Some Socio-economic Aspects of the Coastal Fishermen in Vietnam from Literature Review

Abstract

This writing presents the basic findings of a study of socio-economic and cultural life of a community of coastal fishermen by which it indicates the limitations of anthropological studies of sea of Vietnam at present. Specifically, the current studies of coastal residents mainly concentrate in Northern Vietnam, pay greater attention on history and folk culture than on ethnological/anthropological aspects. The content of ethnographic works principally deals with livelihoods, organizational structure and social institution, cultural life, traditional religious beliefs, taboos in fishing of the group of these residents. The issues of contemporary life (contradictions in interest in sea, contention between rice cultivated farmers and cultivators of aquatic animals, relation of tourism development and cultivation of aquatic animals, life of Chinese-Vietnamese, Cham, Khmer fishermen, etc.) are paid less attention on. This practical situation demands ethnological/anthropological discipline to direct its studies to contemporary issues, especially issues on fishermen fishing far from shore.