Food, modernity, and identity in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract

This thesis examines the role of food in the construction and performance of middle class identity for young women living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It will frame this subject within the larger context of urban food security in Vietnam, which informs many household consumption habits and illustrates growing socioeconomic inequality. Using ethnographic methods, this research focuses on the experiences and beliefs of five university-aged women, examining the ways that they use food to differentiate themselves from their parents, as a form of cultural capital, and as a connection to foreign cultures.