Vietnam: Growth, Globalization, and “Market Leninism”
Emily Blanchard, Associate Professor of Business Administration
Edward Miller, Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies; Chair, Department of Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages
March 2025
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
In this Global Insight Expedition course, students will travel to Vietnam to learn about one of the most dynamic and exciting countries in Asia. In the past 35 years, Vietnam has experienced enormous economic, social, and cultural changes. The ruling Vietnamese Communist Party’s adoption of “Renovation” (đồi mới) reforms during the mid-1980s opened the country to foreign investment and ushered in a period of economic expansion that has vaulted Vietnam into the ranks of middle-income countries. In addition, Vietnam now boasts a robust manufacturing sector that plays important roles in global supply chains, and it is a global leader in the production of commodities such as rice, coffee, and seafood.
But growth and globalization have come with a price. Vietnam is grappling with rising income inequality, environmental degradation, increased conflict over land and labor rights, and corruption. In addition, internal political developments have raised questions about the leadership and legitimacy of the ruling Vietnamese Communist Party.
In this GIX, students will learn about contemporary Vietnam by exploring the evolution of its political economy since the 1980s. (For the purposes of this course, political economy is defined as the interplay among politics, economic practices, economic thought, and state institutions and actors.)