Vietnam & Cambodia: Women of the Informal Economy
What cultural aspects of a place unfold through the women of the local informal economy?
Modern Ancient. That is how a Vietnamese woman, connected to the local street food scene, described her country to me. Passing by Vietnam and the neighbouring Cambodia, you can’t help but feel that same sentiment. Places that continue to embrace their distinct traditional and cultural elements in the midst of rapid efforts to mirror the characteristics of their Western counterparts. And the local women of the informal economy of these two countries – whether through the roles they play, products and services they offer, or accessories they carry – they are a perfect lens through which one can see some of the unique cultures unfolding daily.
Fruit and vegetable sellers
From street food vendors to micro-enterprise workers, women outnumber men in the informal sectors of Vietnam and Cambodia. And as you walk their streets, it becomes very clear that the activities of selling fruits and vegetables are almost exclusively the domain of women.
Whether it is selling the produce on foot, bicycle or at a marketplace, the women carry a wide variety of items. This includes everything from the small bananas, citrusy pomelos and sea creature-like ramboutans to the sweet potatoes and starchy tapiocas. Along with tons of other tropical produce, these are sourced either from their own gardens, village farms or local wholesale markets.
Especially in Vietnam, you’re likely to find a number of the fruit and vegetable sellers donning conical hats, called ‘nón lá’. Worn even by other locals, irrespective of gender or age, the hat brings along a story of its own. Legend has it that during a torrential downpour, a goddess descended from the sky wearing a giant hat made of four large leaves in order to protect the people from the rain. In honour of the goddess, the people replicated the hat using palm leaves and knit it together with bamboo.
With over fifty types, the hats that women usually wear are often broad-rimmed compared to the smaller-rimmed version for men. Beyond protecting people from the rain and sun, these hats also double up as a basket during shopping, a hand-held fan in hot weather or even a bowl for drinking water – making it a perfect accessory for these street vendors.
The day starts very early in the morning for these women vendors and goes late into the evening. Many women, hailing from poor households, migrated to the bigger cities in the hopes that this supplements their family income and needs. While this trade creates employment and contributes a bit to reducing poverty, it does come with its own challenges like long working hours, physical strain and mental stress accompanying the extended period of separation from their families back in their villages.
An interesting conversation can be had in exploring why so many women are seen engaged in this trade. Over the years, some have seen this as patriarchal families leaving the perceived ‘lower status’ jobs to women. While some others have attributed it to fear — the fear that the male family members who move to cities to do this work would spend all the hard-earned money on gambling and alcohol, instead of sending some of it back home. Whatever the reason behind each woman’s circumstance that led them to choose this trade, by selling fruits and vegetables, many of these women have adopted the role of a breadwinner for their families.
Almost as metaphoric to the economic burden of families that these women are carrying on their shoulders, are the iconic bamboo shoulder poles that the Vietnamese street vendors are often seen with. Gracefully balancing loaded baskets on the shoulder poles, many of these women walk dozens of kilometers daily to sell their produce. Given its historic connections with agriculture, the image of a shoulder pole with food baskets on either end is also said to be symbolic of Vietnam’s geographic shape. The country is characterized by a narrow central strip with two agricultural hubs – Mekong Delta in the south and Red River Delta in the north. In addition to these symbolisms, as per tradition, the bamboo is also representative of warding off evil and bringing good fortune. And one can hope that some of the luck rubs off on these hardworking, resilient women.
Street food vendors
The street food scene in Vietnam and Cambodia is just as rich, diverse and vibrant, with women dominating this industry as well. In fact, just in Cambodia, over three quarters of the street businesses are women-led.
En route from the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh to the city of Siem Reap – known for the famous Angkor Wat temple complex – you can find local women selling a variety of popular treats and snacks. Probably one of the more famous ones is the sticky rice with black beans, palm sugar and coconut milk. Called ‘kralan’ in the local Cambodian/Khmer language, these are cooked over fire in short bamboo poles, yielding a distinct, salty and sweet flavour. Kralan is often more popular around the Khmer New Year celebrations in April, marking the end of harvest season. Although a part of the diet in the neighbouring countries as well, some say this snack first originated in Cambodian region among the Mon Khmer indigenous peoples of southeast Asia.
At rest stops along this Cambodian route, you will also see a number of women carrying huge plates of slightly spicy and surprisingly flavourful fried insects including crickets, tarantulas, red ants and more. These popular crunchy, savoury snacks are said to have a relatively more recent history. During the domestic period of terror under the infamous Pol Pot regime between 1975-1979, numerous residents were forced into poverty and hundreds of thousands died of starvation. According to stories, during that time of desperation, Cambodians resorted to eating whatever they could get their hands on to survive. That period of time in a way normalized insect-eating culture. And these protein-rich delicacies continue to be a significant part of Cambodian / Khmer gastronomic culture even today while sparking culinary interest globally. So be sure to reserve any judgement until you try it out!
Similarly, with tons of diverse, delicious food items being prepared everyday, Vietnam has gained fame as one of the best places for street food in the world. And in its two largest cities of Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, well over seventy percent of the street food vendors are women. They operate either as mobile vendors or selling food at their sidewalk stalls. But this might be different for those who have gained a bit more money for capital and have probably lived in the city for a while. They are likely to transition and host their business inside a small brick and mortar storefront space — a place that often serves as their home as well.
I had the pleasure of visiting one such small store in Hanoi that was led by an older lady. Starring on her menu was the delectable North Vietnamese snack, ‘bánh ran’ (translated to mean fried cake). These rice flour donuts with a subtle sweet jasmine scent, come either with a sweeter mung bean paste inside or savoury fillings such as minced meat. While the vendor started to make these donuts when she was in her twenties, she only got to open the shop about two decades later in the 1990’s, perfecting her recipes over time. These simply yummy donuts are said to evoke a pleasant nostalgia for the locals, many who grew up eating this popular snack.
While some street businesses flourish, it may not be the case for all. Moreover, given that these women operate within the informal economy, their finances are not shored up with any guaranteed income, job security, or health and other basic benefits. But their passionate determination moves their hands to prepare some certainly mouth-watering dishes.
FISH(Y) BUSINESS
These informal food systems would be incomplete without mentioning the fisheries and the vital role that women play in them.
The lower Mekong delta area of Vietnam and Cambodia offers a rich aquatic ecosystem, with communities relying heavily on it for their livelihoods. The Tonle Sap Lake of the Mekong river in Cambodia is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. So it will come as no surprise that the local diet totally embraces fish in all its forms – fried, curried, pickled, you name it!
Wading through the floating villages of the Tonle Sap Lake, one is immediately drawn to its simple charm. Being one of the world’s top productive inland fishing areas, it contributes to more than a third of Cambodia’s animal protein supply. Yet, it also remains one of the poorer regions of the country.
With the high male death-rate during the domestic genocide and civil war period of the 1970’s and combined with men who left the villages in search of other jobs but never came back, more than a third of the households in such rural Cambodian regions are currently women-led.
However, since the general perception is that the fishing economy equals catching fish – which is mostly a male-dominated activity – the extent of women’s role often goes undercredited and overlooked. Rather, the responsibilities that women carry are seen as an extension of her duty at home. But in fact, women in this region take the lead in everything from construction and repair of fishing gear and equipment, sorting and processing fish, and even operating fish cages. Adding to that, selling fish is pretty much a woman’s trade.
One of the key fish processing activities undertaken by Khmer women is preparing the iconic and traditional fermented fish paste called ‘prahok’ – a major ingredient of Khmer cuisine. Using the freshwater fish, the ‘riĕl’, the prahok made in the Tonle Sap region is touted as one of the best.
Despite the significant involvement of women in fisheries, there is still a long way to go to better highlight their contribution. But efforts are being made to support them with the adequate resources they need to better succeed and advance in this trade.
Creative retail
While there is a heavy involvement of women in the informal food system, their activities in other spaces are no less important.
The sweet smelling incense industry is one of them. Incense sticks are made by splitting bamboo and coating it with a paste prepared from the bark powder of the locally available O Douc tree. When burned, the incense stick produces smoke that lightly dances up, supposedly serving as a bridge between the earthly and heavenly realms.
Being a long-standing, integral and sacred part of many Asian cultures, the incense sticks are incorporated across local festivals, religious rituals and traditional customs. To meet the demand, sometimes entire villages in Vietnam are involved in this tradecraft using their own unique recipes for the incense paste. One can also stop by small family-run stores in these ‘incense villages’ to get a closer look at the women making these fragrant sticks.
Laced with similar spiritual symbolisms are the popular Vietnamese lanterns. The city of Hoi An, with its quaint and well-preserved, riverside old town, is well known for its whimsical lanterns, brightening this UNESCO heritage spot both day and night. Walking its streets, you are bound to see a number of women either selling or making lanterns in different colours, shapes and sizes. Made of bamboo frame and silk cloth, these lanterns were adapted from the ones that Chinese and Japanese merchants introduced here back in the 16th century, when Hoi An was a major trading port. Many of the lanterns feature locally relevant art designs such as peach blossoms, which is a popular symbol during Vietnam’s Lunar New Year celebrations. And probably as luck would have it, hanging these lanterns outside one’s home is said to bring good fortune.
In the 20th century, the idea of combining lanterns with the local monthly Moon Festival was seeded, turning it into the now popular Full Moon Lantern Festival. On the 14th day of each lunar month, simpler paper lanterns are floated down the river as an offering to the ancestors or as a prayer for peace. (Though, with the increased interest from tourists to also participate in this recent tradition, the number of paper lanterns that find themselves in the river has resulted in high levels of water pollution).
These are just a few of the trades women actively engage in within the informal economy of Vietnam and Cambodia.
Even with all the enchanting beauty and cultural richness emanating from these trades, the informal economy is often characterized by the ‘unskilled’ nature of those participating in it. But deeper exploration reveals that each role comes with its unique set of skills that, at times, takes years to adapt and perfect. All you need is to walk a few miles balancing a packed shoulder pole or try a hand at making a lantern to recognize the complexity behind the process. So it will be a shame to underestimate the knowledge, willpower and tenacity of the women involved in the informal economy. Instead, they are long due for respect, recognition and appreciation for their contribution, not just to the local economy but also towards keeping some of the local culture alive.
Travel Tips
Tip for the Open-Minded Traveler
In the place you are visiting, observe if there are any particular trades/roles in the informal economy where you see mostly women engaged in. Where appropriate, go on a discovery to understand the significance of those trade products and services in local culture/traditions.
Tip for the Curious Traveler
Trace the history of the women-dominant trades/roles in the informal economy of the place you are visiting (i.e. how long have women been engaged in those roles and why). Chat with the locals or read up on how these roles are evolving in the current generation of women.
Tip for the Reflective Traveler
Explore how the history of gender roles shaped any of the women-dominant trades of your current location. Also reflect on the particular range of skills that women of the informal economy apply to their unique trades. Think about how those skills and efforts can be better recognized.