Vietnam: Vietnam Reemerges

▪ 1996

      On April 30, 1995, amid colourful billboards, bustling cafes, and roaring motorbikes, the Vietnamese people celebrated the 20th anniversary of the end of a war that had both devastated and unified their nation. As Communist Party members and invited guests watched a grand parade move through Ho Chi Minh City, once known as Saigon, they had reason to feel both thrilled and uneasy. These conflicting sentiments were visible everywhere as Vietnamese sought to release their pent-up energy and realize their potential while not forgetting that the freedom they enjoyed had been secured by communist soldiers.

      Since the institution of doi moi (economic renovation) in 1986, Vietnam's economy had thrived. While it was still among the poorest of the less developed nations (its gross national product per capita was $220), it had had more than 8% annual growth for the previous four years. Inflation had fallen from 700% in 1986 to 14.4% in 1995. Land reforms that gave more control and greater profits to farmers had been a tremendous success. A nation that once could barely feed itself was now the world's third largest exporter of rice. Vietnam's liberal investment laws, moreover, had triggered an enormous influx of money from neighbouring nations. With the end of the U.S. trade embargo in 1994 and the restoration of normal diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Vietnam in 1995, there was great promise of even more foreign investment. Chrysler planned to build cars there, Mobil Oil was searching for petroleum offshore, and Coca-Cola was the country's trendiest drink. Finally, with financial incentives from both Vietnam and developed nations, many boat people who fled the country had returned home.

      All this positive growth, however, carried with it a deep concern about unintended and undesirable consequences. Within the government there was heated debate about privatizing the economy and opening markets to outsiders. Many hard-line communists feared that the power and autonomy that they fought so hard for would be lost with the emergence of free markets. Such fears had already led to several setbacks for Vietnam's new economy. The conversion of agricultural land for industrial use had been stopped, and so had borrowing against land values. The government's uncertain long-term commitment to open trade had scared off many potential investors. The progress of the past decade had also deeply affected the culture of Vietnam. There was an unrestrained mania for all things Western, and the prospect of growing wealthy had, for example, tempted both students and teachers to seek well-paying jobs in the business sector. Vietnam's future would largely depend on who succeeded Communist Party leader Do Muoi and Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet. Perhaps the most important development in Vietnam during the year was its admission into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in July. By linking its own economic strategies with those of noncommunist Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Brunei and pursuing peaceful relations with other nations, it had shown that, as popular T-shirts in Ho Chi Minh City declared, “Vietnam is a country, not a war.” (JAMES HENNELLY)

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