Development of transaction relations in freshwater fish wholesale markets in Hanoi, Vietnam

Abstract

This paper aims to examine an analytical framework to describe the development process of transaction relations in fish wholesale markets in Hanoi, Vietnam, from a behavioral point of view. I focus on various resources such as social networks, trading skill, and fluctuation of fish supply as factors in the building and transformation of transaction relations. The accumulation process of resources was analyzed in relation to regional background. Data was collected by interview with wholesalers and suppliers and from their account books. The results show that the wholesalers organize transaction relations using both social networks and their trading skills. The skills were accumulated by female labor in the wholesalers' enterprises not only through the change of labor allocation scheme, but also by the biophysical resources available for sale. Geographical description needs to shed light on how the traders' resources were formed, with more attention to both the socio-political and the physical environment.