Résumé
The article analyzes an essential, yet overlooked aspect of Vietnamese people's everyday life: non-market circulation. This concept refers to transactions which take place outside the market and rely on interpersonal relations. It is highly developed in Vietnam under different forms: donations, loans with or without interest, revolving credits, etc. This circulation structures a network of mutual aid to which everyone may resort in difficult times and which, as such, has become a fundamental feature of the resilience of households; as a result, to a certain extent, it is similar to social security. In a context in which neither the market, the State, kinship, nor religion is sufficient to maintain social bonds, non-market circulation--with its utilitarian and social functions--is a central element of Vietnamese society today.