Small Towns as Interfaces for Interaction, Exchange and Transition in Vietnam

Abstract

Small towns present a critical link between urban systems and rural landscapes and are thus relevant for the understanding of regional development processes. In this context, an integrative analysis of the dynamics of interaction and negotiation on the local level and their correlation with higher-level structures and processes is insightful. The analysis draws on the concept of the social interface which is here applied to encounters between actors of various fi elds and levels within the arena of the small town. This approach is exemplifi ed by an outline of processes of negotiation and mediation along political and economic interfaces in small Vietnamese towns. While the approach remains to be verifi ed and elaborated in practice, it promises to provide a more complex and holistic view of current development trends.