Thayer Vietnam Brief : Political Overview and Current Issues

8/2/2019 Thayer Vietnam Brief : Political Overview and Current Issues

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et am r e

Emeritus Professor Carl Thayer16th Delegation of Young Political Leaders

Hotel Realm, CanberraMarch 23, 2012


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l n f Pr n nl n f Pr n n

Background

ompar son o e namese an

Australian Political Systems Current Political Structure and

Government

Current Issues


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Back roundBack round 14th most populous

.

(2011) $299 billion GDP

ppp r n

$121.6 billion GDP

Economic growth rate5.8% 2011

Success in povertyreduction


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Human GeographyHuman Geography

Kinh 85.7%

Tay 1.9%

Thai 1.8

Muong 1.5

mer .

Mong 1.2

Nung 1/1%

.


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Still a Developing Country

Organisation Survey Ranking

World Economic Forum Global Com etitiveness 65 out ofReport 2011-12 (-6) 142

World Bank Ease of Doing Business

Re ort 2012 -5

98 out of

183

United Nations Development

Programme

Human Development

Index 2011 (nil change)

128 out of

187

Transparency International Corruption PerceptionsIndex 2011 (+4)

112 out of

182

Wall Street Journal

Freedom 2012 (+8) 179

Index 2011-12 (-7)

179


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Comparison of Vietnamese andComparison of Vietnamese and

us ra an o ca ys emsus ra an o ca ys ems No separation of power Separation of power

One-party

-

Multi-party

Unicameral legislature

ompu sory vo ng

Bicameral legislature Politically active armed

forces Politically neutral armed

forces

Mass organisationsstate-controlled Civic organisations are

inde endent Media state-controlled

Media independent


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GovernmentGovernment

Leninist one-party

ua ro e e es

Gradual political liberalisation since 1992 No pluralism, multi-parties or opposition

Market econom with socialist orientations

Soft-authoritarian


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Administrative Divisions

59 rovinces

5 municipalities

ano

HaiphongDa Nang

Ho Chi Minh City

Can Tho


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OneOne--Party StateParty State

Vietnam Communist PartVietnam Communist Part

The StateThe StateArmedForcesArmedForces

MassOrganisations

MassOrganisations


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11th National Congress

Januar 2011

Nguyn Ph TrngSecretar -General


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Party Power StructureParty Power Structure

>3.5>3.5 CongressCongress CentralCentral PolitburoPolitburomillion

membersmillion

members1,377

delegates1,377

delegates

175

members

175

members

14members

14members

General

General


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Central CommitteeCentral Committee

175 full and 25 alternate members, Central

omm ee requ re o mee n p enary

session twice a year.


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Political Bureau 2011Political Bureau 2011


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n m P r ln m P r lSecretary

enera

Prime MinisterState President

Chair NationalAssembl

PermanentSecretar

StandingCommittee

PartySecretariat


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Trng Tn Sang

Nguyn Th Doan


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CabinetCabinet -- ChChnh Phnh Ph(literally government)(literally government)

From collective leadership to ministerial responsibility


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Prime Minister N u en Tan DunPrime Minister N u en Tan Dun

HeadsCabinetHeads

Cabinet

Member ofPolitburo

Member ofPolitburo


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AssemblyAssembly --

QuQu c Hc Hii

N u n Sinh Hn - Chair

500 deputies from 64

administrative units

Bi-annual sessions

Standing Committee


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Proceedings broadcast on radio and television, voting results madepublic, full-time deputies, Ministers grilled, legislation amended, two

of the Prime Ministers Cabinet nominees rejected, confidence vote,

reviewed bauxite contract with Chinese firm, high-speed rail rejected


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Vietnam Peoples ArmyVietnam Peoples Army


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The Armed Forces have an explicit role

n e po ca sys em


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MM TrTr n Tn T

Vietnam Communist Party

Peoples Armed Forces

General Confederation of

Vietnam Farmers Union

Vietnam Womens UnionVietnam Veterans Union


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rr n Irr n I

a. Landtenure

b. Partyreform anticorruption

.

d. Suppressionoffreedomofspeech/dissent

e. Contaminationofpetrol


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on Vn Vn

from land he

leased and

successfullydeveloped in

district


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PartPart --Buildin & ReformBuildin & Reform

Party of Vietnam Central Committees fourth plenum On Urgent Issues

in Party-Building opened in Hanoi on February 27, 2012


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East Sea South China SeaEast Sea South China Sea

nprece en e pu c emons ra ons aga ns na on ou na ea c a ms

held in 2011.


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Declinin

Human

Ri htsDeclinin

Human

Ri hts

33 peaceful activists imprisoned and another 27arrested endin trial in 2011

Bloggers, writers, human rights defenders. anti-

corru tion cam ai ners democrac advocates landrights activists, minority religious groups

Mistreatment of Christian ethnic minorities and Falun

Gong adherents

Censorshi of Internet and Facebook


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P r l n m n nP r l n m n n


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n D ln D [email protected]

Mobile: 0437 376 429

Thayer Consultancy

. .

Jamison Centre, ACT 2614

Documents

Thayer Vietnam Brief : Political Overview and Current Issues