Despite the fast growth of what is considered to be the middle class in urban areas of Vietnam, a sense of class maturity, unity and identity has yet to develop and consolidate. As this emerging group will have a determining effect on the country’s social stability.
Defining the middle class in Vietnam remains challenging on a number of levels. The colonial period created a stratum of professionals in urban areas who have adopted a “modern” lifestyle that entails education and a sense of distinctiveness in their values and tastes. However, the dominance of socialism targeted the upper and middle classes. Communist ideology introduced collectivization and decried private wealth and ownership for equality. Socialism triggered a large-scale downward shift in social status for the urban middle class, who lost their wealth and private possessions.