Livelihood Transformation of the Cho-Ro People in Song Xoai Commune, Phu My Town, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province

The Cho-ro people are an indigenous ethnic minority with a long history of residence in the Southeast region of Vietnam. According to the 2019 socioeconomic survey of 53 ethnic minorities, the Cho-ro population stands at 29,520 (Committee for Ethnic Minorities, General Statistics Office, 2020: 65), primarily concentrated in Dong Nai and Ba Ria - Vung Tau provinces. In Ba Ria - Vung Tau, with a population of nearly 9,000, the Cho-ro rank as the second largest ethnic minority group, following the Hoa people. The Cho-ro are predominantly located in Chau Duc district (Ngai Giao town, and the communes of Dá Bac, Bàu Chinh, Bình Giã, and Bình Ba), Xuyên Moc district (Tân Lâm and Bàu Lâm communes), Dat Do district (Long Tân commune), and Phú My town (Hac Dich ward, Sông Xoài commune, and Châu Pha commune). Additionally, a small number of Cho-ro people reside scattered in Bình Phuoc, Bình Duong, and Bình Thuan provinces.

This article employs Rational Choice Theory and data collected from ethnographic fieldwork, combined with the synthesis and analysis of secondary sources related to the research area, to elucidate the transformations in the livelihood activities of the Cho-ro community in Sông Xoài commune, Phú My town, Bà Ria - Vung Tàu province in the current context. The article aims to provide scientific evidence to support the consideration, planning, and proposal of economic development policies suitable for the local conditions.