Abstract
After reunification in 1976, one of largest changes experienced by villages in the Mekong Delta was a shift to collectivized farming. Although the socialist authorities had planned step-up collectivization and forced farmers to join collectivized farming group, almost all farmers resisted these policies strongly, eventually causing the authorities to abondon step-up collectivization and revert to the pre-collectivization landholding situation, as sanctioned in 1988's No. 10 agreement.
In contrast to the general situation in the Mekong Delta, Khanh Hau village was selected as a model of collectivization by the provincial authority, carried out step-up collectivization, organized some initial agricultural cooperatives, and started collectivized farming in 1978-79. In addition to pressure from the provincial authority, farmers had the following reasons for choosing collectivization: failure to attain self-sufficiency due to continuing landholding fragmentation after the agrarian reforms of the 1950s and 1970s; familiarity with a semi-collective farming system under village labor organizers (trum) before collectivization; and experience with non-agricultural short-time labor, such as in trading, and small-scale farming on their farmstead, with which they continued to supplement their income after collectivization.
Under collectivized farming, farmers showed reluctance, tinkering in paddy fields, pursuing gainful employment outside the village, and fleeing from labor obligations, although collectivized farming continued until 1984 when converted to individual family farming upon fulfilling quotas. The economic situation in Khanh Hau village during collectivization is an example of economic diversity in the villages of the Mekong Delta after reunification.
