Introduction to Political Science II

(SBK 142)
Prof.Dr.BurcuTaşkin

THE EFFECTS OF COMMUNISM IN VIETNAM

by

Amira Nadjabinti Mohamed Nasran

140905049

&

Fatchima Ali Ide

140905050
 THE EFFECTS OF COMMUNISM IN VIETNAM

Vietnam or its official name, Socialist Republic of Vietnam

(Vietnamese :CộnghòaXãhộichủnghĩaViệt Nam) is a one-party Communist state, is a

developing state that is located in Indochina Peninsula. With China to the north of the border,

Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and Malaysia across the South China Sea

to the southeast. As one of the five remaining Communist countries, Vietnam officially

espousing their ideologies and still carry forward the legacy of Karl Marx’s communism (The

Richest 2013).

Introduction

Communism was first introduced into Vietnam in the late 1920’s, with the emergence

of three separate communist parties;Indochinese Communist Party, Annamese Communist

Party and Indochinese Communist Union, which later unified by NguyễnÁiQuốc or known as

HồChí Minh into the Vietnamese Communist Party. In 1930, the party later changed its name

to the Indochinese Communist Party (ICP). The communist party mainly dominated the

national independence front, the ‘League for the Independence of Vietnam’ or known as Việt

Minh Front, which initially formed with the non-communist Vietnamese Nationalist or other

Vietnamese nationalist parties to seek independence for Vietnam from the French colonialism

(Alpha History 2016). There are 3 vital goals of the communist party; 1) to against French

imperialism, feudalism and the Vietnamese reactionary capitalist class; 2) to establish

Vietnam, an independent country as a whole; 3) to establish a government made up of

workers, peasants and the military (Ssinoonasri 2012).

 From 1954 to 1975, the Geneva Conference divided Vietnam at the 17th Parallel into

two separate nations, North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The North, ruled by a communist

government led by HồChí Minh, is allied with communist Soviet Union and China, while the

South ruled by anti-communist government led by NgôĐìnhDiệm, is strongly allied with the

United States, the West and the anti-communist cronies (The History Learning Site 2015).

Elections to resolve the reunification of both Democratic Republic of North Vietnam and

Republic of South Vietnam were scheduled but never eventuated. Within the years of

separation, communists had launched a guerrilla war on the south. Hundreds of thousands of

US soldiers were sent to help fight the communists in a costly and ultimately unsuccessful

war which brought domestic civil unrest and international embarrassment. The US was

driven by Cold War concerns about the spread of communism, particularly "domino theory"

– the idea that if one nation fell to the leftist ideology, others would quickly follow. The

Vietnam War was protracted and bloody. The Hanoi government estimates that in two

decades of fighting, 4 million civilians were killed across North and South Vietnam, and 1.1

million communist fighters died. US figures covering the American phase record 200-

250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers killed and 58,200 US soldiers dead or missing in action

(BBC News).

The Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, was the start of the transition period toward

reunification of both communist North and anti-communist South as the Communist North

conquered the South in 1975 after three decades of war. On July 2, 1976, the Republic of

Vietnam (South Vietnam) and Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) merged to

form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The Effect of Communism

Despite of the conflicts and war lilted through the history, to this day, the effect and

impact of communism can still evidently be seen in the politics, economy and the social life

of the people in Vietnam.

In Politics

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a totalitarian state with one-party system leads

by the Communist Party of Vietnam. The vital of the state in communism can be seen in the

1992 Constitution of The Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Article 4, Clause 1, “The

Communist Party of Vietnam - the Vanguard of the Vietnamese working class,

simultaneously the vanguard of labourers and of the Vietnamese nation, the faithful

representative of the interests of the working class, labourers and the whole nation, acting

upon the Marxist-Leninist doctrine and Ho Chi Minh's thought, is the leading force of the

State and society” (Vietnam Government Portal). The Communist Party of Vietnam is the

only legally recognized political party in Vietnam. It simply shows that the Communist Party

of Vietnam plays a significant role in representing the working class, labourers and the whole

nation influenced by the Marxist-Leninist ideology along with Ho Chi Min’s believes in

governing the state of Vietnam.

As a contradictory state, Vietnam uses coercion and threats of violence to remain in

power. Current features of the political system like corruption, lack of transparency and

ineffective governance, the presence of political violence or the absence of a truly free and
democratic press most likeably happens in a government with no opposition party to provide

check and balance the system. The one ruling party usually reigning and controlling every

aspects of freedom through terror and propaganda (Hoover Press 1983).

In Economy

Vietnam adapted socialism in marketwith the term “Socialist-Oriented Market

Economy”, where it can be described as an economic system between communism and

capitalism (thisMatter.com). This system is brought forward in 1986 where the government

initiated a series of political and economic renewal campaign (DOI MOI)which began

Vietnam’s path towards integration into the world economy. The idea of this system is that,

like communism, socialism in market seeks to redistribute the wealth more equitably by the

private ownership of natural resources and major industries, such as in the business field and

in the agriculture of Vietnam. Socialists also seek to nationalize monopolies, which greatly

enrich their owners at the expense of the proletariat. DOI MOI has combined economic

planning with free-market incentives and encourage the establishment of private business in

the production of consumer goods and foreign investment, including foreign-owned

enterprises.

By the late 1990s, the success of the business and agriculture reforms ushered in

under the DOI MOI was evident. In 2001, the Communist Party of Vietnam approved a 10-

year economic plan that boosted the role of the private sector while reaffirming the

importance of the state sector in the economy. Despite the dramatic fall in world Economic

Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report rankingsdue to negative perceptions of the

effectiveness of government institutions, they continue to expand at an annual rate, it is one

of the fastest-growing economy in the world (Wikipedia).

In Social

The communism also affect Vietnam socially, mainly in the media and civil liberty.

This is due to the authoritarian political regime is being practiced in organ government of

Vietnam since the communist conquer in 1975. According to the World of Freedom 2015,

Vietnam scored 17 out of 40 in civil liberties where freedom of expression and belief,

associational and organization rights and personal autonomy and individual rights are being

counted. The result for the status of the country is not really shocking. Vietnam was being

marked as a not free country by the World of Freedom.

For an example, in the freedom of expression and belief, the state controls all media

and printed broadcast via the party, military or other government organs. The government

actively silences critics through arrest, legal prosecution, and other means of harassment.

Religious freedoms also remain restricted. All religious groups and most individual

priesthood members are required to join a party-controlled supervisory body and acquire

permission for most activities. Those who fail to register their activity with the state are often

arrested and punished. Academic freedom is also limited. University professors must avoid

from criticizing government policies and adhere to party views when teaching on political

topics.

Although citizens enjoy more freedom in private discussions than in the past,

authorities continue to punish those who openly criticize and against the state (Freedom
House 2015). The totalitarian regime of the Vietnam simply wants to stay in power, remain

untouched, with the penetration of the ideology itself throughout the society.

Conclusion

The happenings of post-communism in Vietnam since 1920s has brought about a lot

of prominent changes that have shaped the Vietnam today. Communism has been a vital

foundation to this country ever since its biggest contribution in getting independence from

French Colonisation. However, as decades have gone by with emerges of ideological and

technological developments, the very idea of Communism is seen to be strayed from the real

motives since it was taken as the fundamental of Vietnamese governing’s. This has resulted

in a number of drawbacks to the Vietnamese in the end of 20th century to the starting of the

new millennium despite it being one of the fastest growing economic country.
References
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The History Learning Site 2015, Ho Chi Minh. Available
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BBC News, Vietnam War : (HISTORY) Introduction. Available
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>.
Alpha History 2016, Vietnam War, Available from :<http://alphahistory.com/vietnamwar>.
[22 May 2016]
Ssinoonasri 2012, SistemAdministrasi Negara Vietnam. Available
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AboutVietnam/AboutVietnamDetail?categoryId=10000103&articleId=10001012>.
Economy History of Vietnam, (wiki article). Available
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thisMatter.com, Economic Systems: Capitalism, Communism, and Socialism. Available
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