Book excerpt: Economic reforms in Vietnam have allowed its ethnic Chinese citizens to prosper, but growing Chinese economic strength harbours the seeds of political problems. The topic is also meshed with the larger concern of Sino-Vietnamese relations, which in the best of times can be coloured by a suspicion which goes back centuries. In the worst of times, as in 1978/79, both sides were engaged in open warfare. To understand the current situation, this book delves into the origins of Chinese settlement in Vietnam, tracking the flow of history through the major events which have shaped the Chinese mercantile community and made it what it is today. The most significant feature of this work is that it draws on Western, Russian, and Vietnamese sources, as well as the writer's own familiarity with the actual situation on the ground.