Vietnam Today

For more than a decade, Vietnam has, through its actions, isolated itself in the international community and brought many of its war-weary people to the edge of starvation. Vietnam today is in the midst of grave social, political and economic crisis. The programs of glasnost and perestroika that the Hanoi leadership launched in imitation of the USSR have so far proved to be mere rhetoric. The papers contained in this text represent the contributions of experts to a conference held in Bangkok, Thailand in 1988. Their observations aim to contribute to a better understanding of Vietnam today and to a more constructive debate in the future.