Access to Natural Resources for Whom? Aquaculture in Nam Dinh, Vietnam

Abstract

"This article deals with the rapid coastal development in three districts of a province in northern Vietnam, Nam Dinh, which is undergoing rapid social and economic changes. Against the backdrop of the effects of global climatic change and large infrastructural works in upstream parts of the Red River delta, the main interest of this article is the history of the imposition of property rights in an area which was long time dominated by state policies towards the use of coastal resources. In this article I will deal exclusively with aquaculture in three coastal districts of Nam Dinh and look at the important changes that occurred over time in this region. A major conflict between state agencies and individuals or groups about the property transfer of coastal mud fields is analysed in order to discuss communal and open access forms of property rights in an area plagued by over-exploitation and resource degradation. The case enables the author to comment upon Hardin's model of the 'tragedy of the commons' and the relevance for a specific Vietnamese geographical and historical case."