A conference was held in Hanoi on April 12 to discuss changes of markets in Vietnam from an anthropological viewpoint.

Jointly held by the Vietnam Institute of Ethnology and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, the event focused on the relations between markets and State’s policies during the renewal (doi moi) process.

Studying the market from an anthropological angle is a topic of interest in Vietnam as it is not only a place to exchange goods and do business but also contains many socio-cultural aspects.

Rector of Vietnam Institute of Ethnology Vuong Xuan Tinh said not many contemporary researchers take interest in studying the dynamic private trade activities during the period Vietnam followed the policy of State subsidy.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kristen W. Endres said that Vietnamese policies for market development are not appropriate and lack a practical approach, resulted in the failure of many projects on building modern markets in rural areas-VNA