Free Migration in the Border Region Sets for Economic Development

This paper aims to study the influential factors to establish new livelihood for the domestic migrants in Vietnam border region. In 1960, the government sets the program to move people from the Mekong delta to the highlands in the north. The success of this program creates many generations that have cross marriage with the local ethnic groups. The population in the border province increased significantly. In comparison, there are some migrants from the ethnic groups left their houses in the high mountain places. The wave of domestic migration brought threats for border security. Therefore, there are several policies that have been implemented to form a new place for the ethnic people that follow the route of moving out of border areas. This paper will first analyze the policy for ethnic group in Vietnam to find the response for questions as follows: What are factors that influence their decision to settle at one place for a long time. The authors collect data from interviews with the Hmong group in the field trip to Son La province, where Vietnam has a border with Lao. We find that there are three ways that the migration is influenced; the first is suitable model of agriculture to improve the household income, second is providing the regulations and land use to practice their new religious belief, and third is new communication channels in ethnic languages.