Urban Linguistic landscapes in the context of Global integration: Evidence from Binh Duong New City, Vietnam

This study examines the linguistic landscape (LL) of Binh Duong New City utilizing a corpus of 312 signs and 150 attitude survey samples. The paper argues that the urban linguistic space in this industrial hub operates under a mechanism of fragmentation, driven by the interplay between administrative regulatory frameworks and market-based dynamics. Empirical data reveal a dual spatial structure: the top-down system maintains strict adherence to Vietnamese as the National Language (H'=0.00) to assert institutional legitimacy and national sovereignty; conversely, the bottom-up system undergoes flexible restructuring through complex multilingual configurations (H'=1.89). Notably, the absence of the National Language on 15.9% of commercial signs serves as an indicator of linguistic commodification, a process that facilitates the emergence of specialized consumer micro-ecosystems tailored to expatriate professionals. Regarding social reception, the evaluative mechanism exhibits a distinct functional divergence: while international participants decode the landscape primarily through its informational function, local residents demonstrate consensus based on the symbolic function of global economic integration. These findings provide a theoretical and empirical foundation for a proposed zoning-based language management model. This model aims to integrate the mandatory legal status of Vietnamese as the National Language within a flexible regulatory framework that accommodates the operational requirements of a multicultural economy, thereby providing a scientific basis to protect and develop the National Language in the context of global integration.