Transnational Entrepreneurship amongst Vietnamese Businesses in London

Abstract

This paper draws on research with Vietnamese businesses in London which seeks to challenge some of the traditional views of transnational entrepreneurship. These have focused primarily on entrepreneurs embedded in both home and host countries and the need for regular travel between the two to manage the business. In contrast, this study suggests that transnational entrepreneurship today is more fluid than previous studies have suggested and is often characterised by multi-polar (rather than bipolar) links. Travel is also less relevant in the current age of ‘super-connectivity’. The research explores how Vietnamese entrepreneurs in London draw on various forms of transnational capital to further the development of their business, and develops a framework to measure the degree and extent of the transnational embeddedness and dependency of the business. The results suggest that transnational entrepreneurship amongst ethnic minority entrepreneurs today is better viewed as a continuum rather than a set of discrete business types.

Keywords:

• UK Vietnamese Enterprise
• Transnational Networks
• Transnational Capital
• Transnational Business Typologies
• Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship

Notes

[1] This quote has been edited by the author to facilitate clarity.

[2] BanhMi is a French baguette filled with fresh savoury fillings.