LECTURE 4 -

VIETNAM
 Recap

◦ The international environment in Southeast Asia in the 20th century:

◦ Advent of colonialism - reasons
◦ Anti-colonial and Independence movements,
◦ Post-colonial nation building challenges
◦ Major turning points
◦ End of World War2, Incubation of The key question: What
the Cold War
◦ Formation of first government but paths did Vietnam take
retreat to northwest for resistance
war
◦ Victory at Dien Bien Phu (CCP
in politics and social
victory in China)
◦ Geneva Peace Agreement – a
change from 1945-1975?
disappointment
◦ Socialist reforms
◦ War against USA
Archimedes Patti
Politics
◦ Lack of recognition of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
◦ Eventually recognized by China and then Soviet Union (1950)
◦ USA did not respond (Cold War)
◦ Communist Party in control, establishment of regime
◦ CIA reported around 400,000 Party members in 1951
◦ Changed of name of Party in 1951 from Indochina Party to Worker’s Party
of VN
◦ All decisions originate from the Central Committee and Political Bureau,
Government implements
◦ Third Party Congress 1960:
◦ War of liberation
◦ Build socialism in the north
◦ Severe weather,
550k crops deficit in
1955, from 200k
◦ Land rental
decreased (25%),
land reforms
◦ North-South
Migration
◦ 886,000 N-S (over
76.3% Catholics)
◦ 85,000 S-N
◦ Brain drain
 Google for oral history, video, articles

Quynh Luu, Nghe An

1956
1) What was the problem that led to the uprising?
2) What happened during the uprising
3) How did it end?
4) What does this uprising teach us about politics at that time?
 ◦ At the point of resistance, Viet Minh needed the
Land reforms help and HCM turned to whoever who could
help him liberate Viet Nam from France
• Heard of Archimedes Patti?
• http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_3267C58E4C10
4A54A0AFDF230D618AE6

“Trong quá trình cải cách ruộng đất, tuy phạm phải những
sai lầm nghiêm trọng và kéo dài, nhưng Đảng ta đã nghiêm
túc kiểm điểm và sửa sai, đưa công cuộc cải cách ruộng đất
hoàn thành thắng lợi vào năm 1957, vĩnh viễn thủ tiêu chế
độ chiếm hữu ruộng đất của giai cấp địa chủ phong kiến và
xác lập chế độ sở hữu ruộng đất của nông dân.”

https://vnanet.vn/vi/anh/anh-chuyen-de-1053/90-nam-dcs-viet-nam-cai-cach-
ruong-dat--nang-cao-trach-nhiem-truoc-dan-thu-tieu-che-do-chiem-huu-ruong-
dat-cua-dia-chu-phong-kien-4384296.html
◦ Bài thơ này có phải của Tố Hữu ?

Giết ! Giết nữa ! bàn tay không Chút nghỉ 

Cho ruộng đồng lúa tốt, thuế mau xong
Cho Đảng bền lâu, cùng rập bước chung lòng
Thờ Mao Chủ Tịch, thờ Sít Ta Lin bất diệt !
 WAR ECONOMY/PLANNED ECONOMY
◦ War economy means an economy that serves a
war – against France and later USA
◦ Post-WW2 consequences: destruction,
starvation, production, illiteracy, housing,
jobs, etc
◦ Controls, restrictions of travel
◦ Planning and biases in production, diversions
of resources
◦ Shortages – resources diverted for war
◦ Conscription for war
◦ Division of country exacerbated shortages due to
trade disruption, trade controls
◦ 1958-1960 plan Targets could have been very-high and largely not
achieved
◦ Plan realization details never released
◦ Nationalisation (joint-stock holdings) of big enterprises carried out,
by 1960 90% stated-owned industry, and 80% of all transport
◦ 75% of all commerce entities organized into cooperatives
◦ Population increased by 3.4% or 500,000 yearly
◦ Average calorie intake declined because grain production decreased
What was Vietnamese GDP in 1960?
◦ Largely dependent on
foreign help?
◦ In 1955 China offered
200 million USD (for
highways, bridges,
reconstruction) and SU
offered 100 million
USD for industry and
public services (over
450 and 300 million
respectively by 1962)
◦ Technical aid and trade
agreements; over 1,500
technical experts
◦ Sino-Soviet contest

What was Vietnamese GDP in 1960-1965? Population 33m

Main economic-social plans 1960-1965
◦ (1) to develop industry and agriculture, to take the first steps in giving priority
to the development of heavy industry; (2) to complete socialist transformation;
(3) to raise the cultural level and socialist consciousness of the people; (4) to
bring about further improvements in the material and cultural life of the
working people; (5) to combine economic development with the consolidation
of national defence, the strengthening of public order and security and the
protection of socialist construction. (Nguyen Duy Trinh, Chairman of State
Planning Commission, September 1960)
◦ First 5-year plan targets (only for 1961-1965, no plan for 1966-1976)
◦ Priorities: stabilize food production, raw materials for industries of food,
textile, clothing, and expansion of agricultural products exports
Targets
◦ By 1965 the gross value of production in industry and handicraft
was to be nearly 150% over 1960 (growth rate of 20%/year)
◦ Workers’ and peasants’. Incomes to increase by 30%, or around
5%/annum
◦ Agriculture: 9%/annum of 60% in 5 years
◦ Cooperativisation of agriculture: started with work team schemes,
and then to collectivisation. Many cooperatives achieved 5 tons of
rice in one hectare
1961-1965 plans realization
◦ Preference given to industry, took 48% of all investments between 1961-64. Heavy industry
took 80% from there.
◦ Industrial output in 1965 was 3 times over 1960 (overshot target)
- 100 new industrial production units, including those making machine, electricity production
◦ Factories that built consumer goods – light industries and handicrafts could meet 80% of
demand for basic products
◦ State-owned industries by 1965 took 93% of all industrial output
◦ Hanoi reported strong moves in socialist reforms and the growth of industries.
◦ Industrial production value in 1962 increased by 67% over 1960
◦ Number of industrial workers in Hanoi in 1962 was 52,000, in 1960 only 24,000
 Assessments of 1961-1965 plan

Những người lao động quang vinh

Chúng ta làm chủ đời mình từ đây

◦ “Trong 10 năm qua, miền Bắc nước ta đã tiến những bước dài chưa từng thấy trong lịch sử dân tộc. Đất nước,
xã hội và con người đều đổi mới.” 1965, HCMTT-11-224.

◦ “The 5-year plan (1961-1965) made a number of mistakes, due mainly to ideology of subjectivity and rush,
dogmatism shown in the instruction to move quickly, strongly, and definitely to achieve socialism, with
overly high objectives and targets without regards to the feasibility and specific conditions of the country.”
Party document.
◦ “Do nóng vội, chủ quan không tính đến những điều kiện, khả năng thực tế,
không tính hết khó khan trở ngại về nguồn nguyên liệu, về năng lượng và các
mặt khó khăn khác, dẫn đến việc đầu tư xây dựng các công trình cònh tràn lan,
chưa có trọng tâm…..”

◦ “Do trình độ quản lý, trình độ kỹ thuật của công nhân nhìn chung chưa cao, ý
thức giác ngộ của công nhân còn yếu, nên đã dẫn đến tình trạng nhà máy xây
dựng nhiều, song không sử dụng hết công suất của máy móc, thường chỉ đạt từ
70-80% công suất thiết kế. Sản phẩm làm ra còn bị phế phẩm nhiều, giá thành
sản phẩm còn cao. Nguyên liệu và năng lượng không đủ để đáp ứng yêu cầu
của sản xuất, nên công nhân thiếu việc làm.”
1965 and onwards
◦ War moved into intensive stage, large
infusion of US soldiers, more resources
needed
◦ Plan of 1961-1965 implemented for only 4
years, and war came
◦ See Kim Ngoc’s experiments in 1966,
stopped in 1968.
◦ Who was Kim Ngoc and what did he do?
What was the importance of his work?
◦ https://tuoitre.vn/bi-thu-khoan-ho---ky-2-
mot-quyet-dinh-tao-bao-311182.htm
 Research Time!

◦ What were the main ideas of Kim Ngoc?

◦ How does politics control economy?
◦ Party resolutions and decisions are the fundamental power and authority
◦ Distinguish between power and authority? Party - Government
◦ No political competition, ideology and excesses combined with unbridled state power and
bureaucratic competition
◦ State monopoly of resources, production, distribution, and consumption
◦ Everything needs a permission (co che xin cho) and state planning
◦ Control of money supply – forced savings – nothing to spend money on?
◦ Control of chains of supply, production, distribution, and retail
◦ Control of imports and exports
◦ Set prices and consumption quota, but…..
◦ State control of ideology
◦ Vinh Phuc
◦ Nhan Van Giai Pham/Chu Nghia Xet Lai
◦ Advantages/benefits
◦ Good for a crisis economy
◦ Little differences in
income/inequality is low.
◦ Health care and education
◦ Social psychology: The aura of
the collective moving in one
single direction
• Disadvantages/costs
• Inequalities existed, still could not erase
social classes
• Unrealistic targets – bureaucratism
• Privileged classes – one had to be
politically connected
• People want different things in peace

THE KEY QUESTIONS: WHAT KIND OF SOCIETY DO WE WANT? WHO

GETS TO DECIDE? HOW WILL IT BE IMPLEMENTED?
WHAT SOCIAL CHANGES WILL FOLLOW? HOW DOES POLITICS IMPACT
ON SOCIAL CHANGE, AND VICE VERSA, IN VIETNAM?
GROUNDS COVERED THIS WEEK
◦ Examined economic policies and politics that brought about the most
direct social changes in Vietnamese society that were unprecedented in
Vietnamese history
◦ Rise of industrial production, new agriculture that is productive
◦ New type of politics, new type of economy, bureaucratic government that
is extensive
◦ Society restructured to different class structures – capitalist class erased
◦ Independent, yet dependent on help from overseas
Grounds to cover today:
- Post-war economic situation
1955-1975
- Trajectory of economic
development
- Politics, war, and impact on
economy and society
 ◦Tutorial questions

◦Can Socialism be achieved without the State in

control of everything? What should be the role of
the government?