How did a country whose gross domestic product (GDP) per capita income was stuck between USD200 to USD300 in the mid-1980s suddenly boast economic growth that now rivals that of China? What changed for Vietnam and who is responsible for this quiet success?
Post-War STRUGGLES
WHEN the 20-year long Vietnam War ended on April 30, 1975, Vietnam’s economy was one of the poorest in the world and growth under the government’s subsequent five-year central plans was anaemic at best. Besides impacting the economy, one of the most immediate effects that the country felt was the staggering death toll from the war.
The war killed an estimated 2 million Vietnamese civilians and 1.1 million North Vietnamese troops as well as 200,000 South Vietnamese troops and 58,000 US troops. Those wounded in combat were in the tens of thousands and US bombings left both North and South Vietnam in complete ruins. Furthermore, the use of herbicides during the war left Vietnam’s natural environment in shambles and caused widespread health problems that persisted well beyond the end of the war.
To say that Vietnam was left with nothing would be an understatement. Yet the worst of it was over and the country finally had the opportunity to rebuild itself. The struggle was figuring
