Title: Cultural determinants of entrepreneurial decisions in ethnic minority youth: evidence from Lao Cai Province, Vietnam

Authors: Vu Quynh Nam; Nguyen Thi Hang

Addresses: Institute for Economic Research and Human Resource Development, Thai Nguyen University of Economics and Business Administration, Vietnam ' Faculty of Economics and Administration, Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology, Vietnam

Abstract: This study investigates the cultural and social determinants shaping entrepreneurial decision-making among ethnic minority youth in Lao Cai Province, Vietnam. Grounded primarily in the theory of planned behaviour and embeddedness theory, with other perspectives serving as complementary references, the study draws on survey data collected from 350 young individuals and employs reliability tests, exploratory factor analysis, and binary logistic regression for empirical analysis. The findings reveal that social norms, cultural values, and social networks play a significant role in fostering entrepreneurial engagement, while family support and risk perception also exert statistically significant influences. In contrast, indigenous cultural constraints demonstrate a weaker but still discernible effect on entrepreneurial decisions. By offering empirical evidence from a relatively underexplored ethnic minority context, this study contributes to the contextual refinement of established entrepreneurship theories and provides actionable insights for the design of culturally sensitive, community-based entrepreneurship support programs in emerging economies. The findings primarily reflect male entrepreneurial behaviour due to sample composition.

Keywords: entrepreneurship; cultural determinants; ethnic minority youth; Lao Cai; Vietnam.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBPIM.2026.155171

International Journal of Business Process Integration and Management, 2026 Vol.13 No.2, pp.162 - 175

Received: 02 Jan 2026
Accepted: 20 Mar 2026
Published online: 28 Jul 2026 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article