Indicators of mining in development: A Q‐methodology investigation of two gold mines in Quang Nam province, Vietnam

Abstract

Mining plays an increasingly important role in Vietnam's economy and has been central to the economic and social development strategies of a number of provinces. Yet, to date, the ways in which mining is experienced by local residents in mining communities has received relatively little attention. This research employed Q-methodology to examine community perceptions concerning the impact of gold mining in Phuoc Duc and Tam Lanh communes, Quang Nam province, Vietnam. As local subjectivities regarding resource extraction are complex and diverse, Q-methodology allows for the identification of distinct and comparable viewpoints within and between study communities. Results indicate that within Phuoc Duc commune, perceived impacts on the standard of living, livelihoods, health, and quality of life were all concerns of local residents. Perceptions of residents in Tam Lanh indicated a concern for impacts on health and the standard of living as well as limited government protection. Findings from the two case studies suggest that local people's subjectivities about mining impacts were highly nuanced and influenced by geography, demographics, history and culture.