In the northern uplands of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam the state is taking dramatic steps to (re)con-
figure agricultural production through the introduction and subsidisation of hybrid rice and maize seeds.
These require yearly cash investments and access to state supplied inputs, a far cry from earlier upland
ethnic minority livelihood strategies. In this paper we develop a conceptual framework that brings
together an actor-oriented livelihoods approach with concepts from everyday politics and resistance,
to examine the relations now at play as ethnic minorities, namely Hmong and Yao households in Lào
Cai province, react to the introduction of these hybrid seeds, negotiate with the state over their use,
and contest and subtly resist the wholesale adoption of this programme. Our framework takes us beyond
an investigation into financial benefits and yields, to focus upon the social, cultural and political aspects
inherent in upland farmer decision-making regarding state interventions. Our findings reveal that such
agricultural programmes have resulted in new food insecurities and vulnerabilities overlaying more
established concerns. Yet in turn, ethnic minority households evaluate these innovations according to
their own terms, and have responded by negotiating, accommodating, and also contesting the state’s initiatives
using creative and innovative everyday politics and livelihood strategies. In so doing, they have
worked to maintain autonomy over choices and decision-making vis-à-vis the economic, social and
cultural reproduction of their household units; a delicate balancing act in a socialist state.