 The Communist Party established the Socialist
Republic of Vietnam in 1976. All political power stems from the Communist Party
of Vietnam (CPV), in which the Politburo is the most important body. A
triumvirate heads the political hierarchy: the General Secretary, the
President, and the Prime Minister. With a per capita GDP of around US$310,
Vietnam is one of the world's poorest countries (however, per capita income is
US$900 in Ho Chi Minh City and US$500 in Hanoi).
The CPV puts the emphasis on the rights of people to food, housing, medical
care, education etc. Vietnam has impressive life expectancy (average age 68),
infant mortality and literacy statistics. The rights of the individual are
subordinated to the good of "The People". But the regime is not tyrannical, and
the CPV claims to remain accountable to the Vietnamese people. There have been
relaxations in recent years, with a prisoner amnesty in the autumn of 1998,
which led to the release of 7,000 prisoners, some prisoners of conscience among
them. There was a smaller amnesty last September.
After expelling Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge Government from Cambodia in 1979, Vietnam
occupied Cambodia - despite international censure - until 1989. Since its
withdrawal, Vietnam has developed strong, stable links with its neighbours. The
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established in 1967, partly
to check possible Communist expansionism. But by 1995, Vietnam had joined this
club. ASEAN membership remains the cornerstone of Vietnam's foreign policy.
English is the working language of ASEAN: this has encouraged Vietnam to shift
from the francophone orbit (it is a former French protectorate) to the
anglophone. The Vietnamese applauded the Singaporean initiative of Asia-Europe
meetings (ASEM) which aims to promote closer relationships between the two
regions.
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