Countries at the Crossroads 2006

Country Reports  |  Overview Essay  |  Acknowledgments  |  Expert Advisory Committee  |  Survey Methodology  |  Introduction to Country Reports  |  Tables and Charts  |  Recommendations Progress Report

Print-Friendly Version

Country Report - Vietnam

Previous | Introduction | Accountability and Public Voice | Civil Liberties | Rule of Law | Anticorruption and Transparency | Author | Notes | Next

Introduction

Vietnam is a contradictory state. It is a one-party Communist state, an authoritarian regime that uses coercion and threats of violence to maintain its monopoly on power. There are no independent media, and many of the constitutionally enshrined rights, such as assembly and freedom of speech, are superceded by Article 2, which places the Vietnam Communist Party above the law. At the same time, the regime enjoys popular legitimacy as the organization that won Vietnamese independence and allows surprisingly high levels of civil society and religious freedom. Economic reforms have moved Vietnam from a centrally planned economy to one predominantly guided by the market, which has created more political space for entrepreneurs, lawyers, and others involved in the commercial sector. While there have been broad political, economic, and legal reforms, the Vietnam Communist Party remains firmly in power and countenances no opposition. Yet, individuals, especially in commercial life, have considerable freedom.

Vietnam was divided in 1954 following the Geneva Accords that saw the end of the French colonial era. After more than two decades of struggle and fighting against the U.S.-backed Republic of Vietnam regime, Vietnam was formally reunified by the Communist-dominated Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The country was renamed the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and immediately began to nationalize the southern economy. Tens of thousands of officers and officials of the RVN regime were sent to reeducation camps, some for up to a decade. The forced collectivization of agriculture in the south, elimination of the south's currency, and inefficiencies of the centrally planned system led to severe economic strains. Shortages and economic dislocations were compounded by Vietnam's occupation of Cambodia from 1979 to 1989.

In 1986, the death of the last of the first generation of leaders allowed for a second generation to assume power. Vietnam embarked on a course of economic reforms known as Doi Moi, or Renovation. While Doi Moi led to macroeconomic stability, more extensive political reforms were halted because of the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe. Vietnamese economic and political reforms stalled in the mid-1990s due to political infighting and ideological debates within the Communist Party but have since regained momentum following the party's ninth congress in 2000 and the election of a new generation of leaders.

Previous | Introduction | Accountability and Public Voice | Civil Liberties | Rule of Law | Anticorruption and Transparency | Author | Notes | Next