"Networks of Credit: The Middle Class Project in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam"
Allison Truitt, Department of Anthropology, Tulane University

The number of retail banks in Ho Chi Minh City has surged over the past few years. Over 80 banks, ranging from large global corporations such as HSBC and Citibank to small joint-stock banks, now operate in the city. How has the expansion of domestic retail banking contributed to the middle class project in Ho Chi Minh City? While retail banking conjures up images of global connectivity and new forms of consumption, these services in Ho Chi Minh City must still contend with people's everyday habits around spending and saving. Moreover, banking services are still dogged by technological disruptions and breakdowns. By tracing the social imaginaries and the material failures of these networks of credit, I show the precariousness of the middle class project in Ho Chi Minh City.

Allison Truitt is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. She received her degree from Cornell University in 2004. In addition to her research in southern Vietnam, she has also worked with Vietnamese community organizations in New Orleans in their efforts to rebuild following Hurricane Katrina.

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