ABSTRACT
In December 1990 I arrived in Vietnam to do ethnographic fieldwork in the Central Highlands, after years of mainly historical research. The research took place in the provinces of Gialai-Kontum and Lam Dong. I held formal interviews with high-ranking provincial cadres within the State, the Party and the mass organizations, as well as with private persons, mainly of ethnic minority descent. After some waiting and negotiating I was permitted to work in villages in the districts of Kontum and Ayun Pa in Gialai province, and in the districts of Di Linh and Bao Loc in Lam Dong province, and conduct interviews with villagers.
