Ethnic Chinese of Vietnam: Perceptions of belonging in the context of growing anti-China sentiment

Abstract: This thesis investigated the perceptions of the identity of the ethnic Chinese minority in Vietnam. During the 2010s, tensions were high in the South China Sea between Vietnam and China, and Vietnamese citizens were taking to the street to express their disapproval of China. This thesis explored the possible repercussion of these geopolitical tensions and aimed to determine whether there is a change in ethnic Chinese’s feelings of belonging in Vietnamese society since the riots of 2014. The thesis intended to lessen the gap in the English-speaking academic research on the ethnic Chinese community of Vietnam and their feelings of acceptance. Drawing on qualitative expert interviews, the thesis argues that ethnic Chinese’s perception of their own identity is associated with their degree of affectation to the events of 2014. The stronger individuals relate to their ethnic Chinese identity, the stronger they will react to the anti-China riots and vice-versa. The thesis also discovered that other Vietnamese and ethnic Chinese have opposite perceptions of the concept of ethnic Chinese identity in Vietnam, explaining the divergence of point of view from both communities regarding the anti-China sentiment in Vietnam as well as perceptions of belonging in Vietnamese society for ethnic Chinese individuals.