Introduction: Neoliberal Governance and Market Socialism

This first section starts off by providing an insight into the situation of marketplaces in today’s socialist-oriented market economy of Vietnam. It then discusses the three core theoretical concepts on which this book is based—uncertainty, trust and morality—and revisits them within the broader framework of neoliberalism but from a predominantly anthropological perspective. Emphasis is given to individual agency and to perceptions and motivations of traders so as to account for the complexity of decision-making processes. In addition, the chapter elaborates on the Vietnamese family and its changing relation vis-a-vis the state. Finally, a short discussion of the research methodology completes the chapter. (104 words)