Social differentiation and access to clean water: a case study from Bac Ninh, Vietnam

Bac Ninh, a province adjacent to the Hanoi Capital Region of Vietnam, has long been renowned for its centuries-old craft villages. Today, Bac Ninh is becoming renowned for the toxic environments produced by its contemporary craft industries, such as the recycling of scrap metals and electronic waste. In this context, this paper considers how residents of a commune in peri-urban Hanoi perceive the cleanliness of their water, and how, accordingly, the social differentiation which has emerged since doi moi ('economic renovation') shapes their practices in procuring water they deem fit for household use. Analysis reveals a complicated picture of the ways in which households access water for everyday domestic use. In spite of the rollout of piped water infrastructure, we find residents relying on a mix of water sources, with private sources clearly preferred but access to those restricted by wealth. The results of these considerations offer glimpses both of the unintended consequences of doi moi and of how future events, including a diminishing supply of water and potential climate change impacts may affect residents of the expanding zones of peri-urban Vietnam.