THE CHINESE COMMUNITY IN QUẢNG BÌNH, QUẢNG TRỊ AND THỪA THIÊN HUẾ: MIGRATION, ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES, AND CULTURE FROM THE MID-16TH TO THE MID-20TH CENTURY

Abstract

This paper employs methods of historical analysis and synthesis, drawing on historical documents, stele inscriptions, genealogies, administrative archives, and ethnographic fieldwork conducted in villages, markets, and Chinese guildhalls in the provinces of Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien Hue. The aim is to analyze the migration process and the economic and cultural activities of the Chinese community. Research findings indicate that, economically, the Chinese played an important role in the development of commerce, handicrafts, and services in Central Vietnam, through large trading enterprises, guildhalls, and a rich system of beliefs. Culturally, they not only preserved their traditional identity through festivals, guildhalls, and customs, but also deeply integrated with the Vietnamese population through intermarriage, language, and social activities. The study affirms that the Chinese community was not merely a group of temporary migrants but became a co-creative force in shaping the region’s economic and cultural landscape. They contributed to the richness and diversity of regional cultural identity and laid a foundation for contemporary socio-economic development.