Social Science and Human Research Bulletin

Economic management within Hmong households involves more than budgeting: families balance food production, cash income, credit obligations, social relationships and livelihood risks. This article synthesises published evidence on the conditions shaping those decisions in Lao Cai, northern Vietnam. A structured narrative review examined 25 core publications dated 1997-2025, drawing on sustainable livelihoods theory and financial capability. Five additional studies on culture-based tourism and community participation informed a separate discussion of possible livelihood applications. Six interacting domains were identified: education and language; demographic and gender relations; kinship networks; commodity-chain position; credit access; and public interventions. The synthesis indicates that household choices reflect food security and autonomy as well as cash returns. Language barriers can restrict the use of institutions, while kinship both facilitates transactions and creates exposure to closed networks. Formal credit and agricultural programmes likewise alter household cash requirements. Available studies rarely measure financial capability directly or document the distribution of financial decisions within families. The article develops four observable management functions and proposes locally adapted financial guidance, seasonal credit design and community-based market support. These are research-informed proposals rather than tested interventions.

Hmong households, Lao Cai, economic management, financial capability, sustainable livelihoods, ethnic minorities.

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