The Impact of Social Capital on Vietnam Rural Economic Development

Abstract

Social capital is always considered as an important resource in the development process. In each nation, social capital shows different characteristics; as a result, these differences create varieties in both styles' lives and social relationships. Usually, social capital is traditionally studied in the sociology field; however, this research will examine it from an economic perspective; and focus to discourse on social capital within the context of economic development in rural areas in Vietnam - a middle-income developing country. Through the author's practical experiences in 6 rural areas in northern Vietnam, combined with in-depth interviews with farmers in these 6 regions and official statistical data from state agencies, the article has synthesized and summarized and pointed out the impact of social capital on Vietnam's rural economic development.