Speaker
Description
Motorcycles have emerged as the quintessential mode of transportation in urban Vietnam, offering affordability and maneuverability unmatched by cars or public transit. With over 65 million registered units in 2020, equivalent to two thirds of the population, their omnipresence shapes not only the physical landscape but also the socio-legal fabric of Vietnamese cities. However, the saturation of the motorcycle market in recent years, alongside infrastructural challenges, has led to pressing issues such as traffic congestion, air pollution, and a rise in road accidents. In response, major conurbations like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have proposed ambitious plans to phase out motorcycles from central districts by 2030, eliciting mixed reactions from the public and media. This paper proposes an exploration of "motorbike constitutionalism" in urban Vietnam, a term coined by legal scholar Mark Sidel (2008). Drawing on thirteen months of ethnographic research conducted in Ho Chi Minh City, this study aims to unravel the intricate web of informal practices and negotiations through which Vietnamese citizens navigate and interpret laws and regulations pertaining to motorbike usage and ownership. By delving into the everyday experiences of motorbike users, I seek to shed light on the ways in which individuals and communities construct their own understandings of mobility regulations, often in response to gaps or inconsistencies in the formal legal system. Through a multidisciplinary lens encompassing anthropology and urban studies, this research aims to contribute to ongoing debates on mobility, governance, and urban development in Vietnam and beyond. By uncovering the dynamics of motorbike constitutionalism, I hope to offer insights that inform more inclusive and effective policy interventions aimed at addressing the complex challenges of urban mobility in rapidly evolving contexts.
Biography
Van Minh Nguyen is a PhD candidate at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (LAMC; EASt). His research falls at the intersection of anthropology and urban studies, focusing on physical and social mobility in post-Doi Moi Vietnam, and on the increasingly entangled intersections between private aspirations, state policies, and urbanisation. Based on motorbike ethnography in Ho Chi Minh City, his analysis reveals traffic as an arena where embodied politics and intimate spatial practices converge.
