Perceptions on collective national identities: Reflections on the Unity of Vietnam in 2016

Abstract

The past of Vietnam is full of conflict and colonialism. Before the reunification that took place in 1975-1976 the country was divided in two parts. Having the turbulent history of the country in the background this thesis attempts to develop an understanding on the current state of unity of the society through analytical lens of collective national identity. This lens is used for analysis of eleven interviews of young Vietnamese adults in the city of Da Nang. The underlying assumptions in this research are that possible incoherencies in the perceptions of national identities may show disunity in the society in two ways. Firstly, incoherencies between national identities of different people may suggest of disunity. Secondly, incoherencies between national identities of people and the nationalist ideal of Vietnamese identity may show disunity in the society. The result of this research suggests that there are both unifying and fragmenting factors in the society of Vietnam of which the collective goals of economic growth and territorial preservation are the most significant.