Facts and Opinions about Communism?

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Izzy_Cool

First of all, define "Communism".

The "Communism" that everyone envisions in the West, begins with gulags and ends with jackbooted stormtroopers taking you away in the middle of the night, famines and poverty.

Vietnam suffered badly after the war. people were starving and, due to the US-led embargo, people were starving.

However, Vietnam has since changed from a major food IMPORTER to a major EXPORTER since the beginnings of "doi moi".Vietnam is now one of the world's leading exporters of rice, coffee and textiles.

The biggest problem with communism is that most of the so-called communist countries did it ************. They went straight to communism without the first steps of capitalism.

How can you enact social welfare programs and make things equal for everyone without money? Cannot be done. This is what effectively 'killed" communism for the most part.

Yet, countries like China and Vietnam continue to flourish, why?
Capitalism, but not unrestrained like in the West.

China is MORE communist than Vietnam and, having lived and worked in both places, I know this as fact.

If anything, Vietnam is "officially' communist, but in reality is more like a 'benevolent socialist' system. with heavy capitalist leanings.

Getting rich over here is encouraged, but the poor are protected as well.

Would Vietnam have flourished under the US system? Maybe not because the leaders in the South were hopelessly corrupt and the entire southern economy was financed by the US military. When they left, it all collapsed.

Regarding Vietnam and science...Vietnam still places very highly in the maths Olympics, international chess tournaments and science events. Sure, they don't have the massive resources as the US, but they do what they can with what they have,

I think Communism fit Vietnam in the beginning because a strict hand was needed in the aftermath of war. But they have also begun to loosen the reins a bit over the years and allowed people to spread their wings a bit.

As you might expect, I have nothing really bad to say about Vietnam or it's system of government because during the last 17 years that I have lived here, I have seen amazing changed all for the good.

This government might not be perfect, but they sure try their hardest to get it right and when it screws up, they admit it and try something else.

Political systems are only as good aas the people and the intentions behind them. In this case, what they have works and it will change only when the Vietnamese people themselves want it to, not before.

Regarding what someone earlier wrote about a one-party system...I agree 1000% Look what BUSH did to our country with a Republican congress and no checks and balances.

The difference with THIS one-party system in Vietnam is that the PEOPLE are the other half of the equation and scream very loudly when something is amiss.

All in all, Vietnam's future looks pretty good.

Mia

Communism = bad because first of all they don't allow any free will. They turn family members against each other. When there are poor people trying to sell stuff to live communists can go to a fancy restaurant and get high quality service. They would beat anyone to death if someone say anything bad about them. Without Communism = happier people, but less security. Still say communism is bad

nguyenthanhtungtinbk

Communism in Vietnam is actually not bad as many people think (especially people who haven't been to Vietnam before). The fact is that there were some "stupid" mistakes done by communist party after the Vietnam war (actually by some people only), but those are the stories of the past. In Vietnam, the biggest problem is just corruption. The government in Vietnam actually cares about people and having many helps for poor people. And in fact, the communist party is doing a good job in driving the economy in Vietnam growing fast stablely.

My personal opinion is: If communism is not a correct choice, this is still not a right time for Vietnam to change. By having only one party leading the country, there are some other benefits. If you look at some other developing countries: in Indonesia, corruption is a big problem after every election to gain money back (money was spent a lot during election); in Thailand, the political crisis happened several times ... I think the best choice for Vietnam at the moment is the government should public every information to the people, especially where the money spent and how effective that is (and they are starting to do that better than before). This way the corruption in Vietnam can be avoided and eliminated. There are also some changes should be done with the way people vote for the leaders in the government for example. Information about who the people will vote for should be given more, or there is a way the candicates will present their plans on TV (just like the way the US vote for their president).

Buon_Giorno_VN

To have a good government you need a strong opposition to keep it on its toes. With a one party government there is no opposition and so there is no pressure to deliver good governance. Communism will eventually die out having achieved little for anyone except the communists. In the May 1975 edition of Time Magazine covering the fall of Saigon, it was reported that the communists were determined to get rid of a class of people...the rich. There is a new class of rich in Vietnam today. It would be very interesting to see how many of this group are communist party ticket holders. And with the rich getting richer the heart and soul of Vietnam, the peasantry, are once again reduced to living off the scraps. And the ghosts of the past are watching......

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