Silueta vietnamské přítomnosti v ČR (K základní charakteristice migrační skupiny)

The paper is designed as a set of reflections of a rather general nature. It describes the presence of Vietnamese in the Czech Republic during the last twenty years. The text captures changes describable only in trends. These are gradual transformations of local communities into modern Central European diaspora or a transnational community. For Vietnamese in the Czech Republic, the impulse to solve their economic situation dominates in terms of objective causes as well as the subjective reasoning of individual participants of the transfer. Business activities played a major role in the development of the community life of Vietnamese. These were either uncontrolled (unofficial) street sales of goods, variously organized retail or sales in wholesale markets. Phases of Vietnamese entrepreneurship in the Czech environment: 1. Uncontrolled street stall selling (1990-1992) following previous business activities from the 1980s, 2. forming of urban and border zone markets (1992-1995), 3. so-called golden times of markets (1995-1998), 4. gradual decline in stall sales in markets and shift of Vietnamese business into stores (1998–today). A significant difference of Vietnamese existence is the fact that it does not seek a new identity when it moves to another country. A Vietnamese businessman is more strongly enclosed in his own cultural habits; after moving he prefers financial profit not only for himself but also for his family back in Vietnam. The dominant form containing classic purchasing and sales of cheap goods is slowly disappearing, the interest in making money is transforming and the tendency to establish new associations is apparent.