Young people’s aspirations for the future and their sense of competence or ability
to achieve these ends are crucial areas of study because youth’s aspirations, expectations,
and plans serve as important guideposts to the future (Bandura et al. 2001, Schneider
and Stevenson 1999). This paper examines aspirations for future lives of young people
who migrated from rural to urban areas in Vietnam. It draws on interview data with twenty
young migrants, aged 18 to 24, from a larger research project which explores the lived
experiences and identities of young rural to urban migrants in Hanoi. Using Appadurai’s
framework (2004) of ‘capacities to aspire’, this paper shows the way in which young migrants
shape their futures and the factors that constrain them. The findings demonstrate
that after migrating to the city, young people formed various pathways to their future,
whether to acquire better jobs skills, start their own small business, or migrate further
away, taking into consideration their limited social and financial capital. Furthermore, they
hold strong hope and positive attitudes toward a better life in the future.