Older street vendors during a crisis: vulnerability and resilience

Older street vendors have long been considered a vulnerable group in Global South countries, especially during times of crisis. This research aims to examine the welfare and mental health status of these vendors, along with the coping mechanisms and mitigation strategies they adopted, focusing on the case of Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a mixed-method approach comprising quantitative and qualitative analyses, this research reveals that these vendors experienced high levels of business loss and consumption reduction. Many also faced mental health problems, including anxiety, stress, or depression. They could access one or several coping mechanisms to smooth consumption, such as cash and in-kind assistance, savings, income from other family members, reduced non-essential spending, loans and even sales of assets. However, they lacked solutions for mitigating their mental health problems. Furthermore, this research highlights the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on older vendors across different residential statuses and vending locations. Based on the findings, this research underscores the necessity for innovative urban policies to support these vendors during both crisis and non-crisis contexts, thereby contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.