Overview of Vietnam's history in the last five years

Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam independent of French rule on September 2, 1945, after Japan's surrender in World War II, but the French returned to rule Vietnam until their defeat in Dien Bien Phu in 1954. The Geneva Agreement divided Vietnam into North and South.

For the next nine years, fighting between the Soviet and Chinese-supported communist north and the United States-backed south intensified. In 1965, The US committed its armed forces to the war in Vietnam, where they remain until 1973 Paris Peace Agreement. But the fighting between Vietnamese forces continued until April 30, 1975, when communist troops captured Saigon and reunified the country.

Facing deteriorating economic situation and international isolation, Vietnam's Communist Party introduced free-market reforms in the late 1980's. In the ensuing years, Vietnam slowly mended relations with China, leading to a State visit to China by Vietnam's President Le Duc Anh in November 1993. In February 1994, Washington lifted its 19-year economic embargo against Vietnam and in July 1995 the two countries restored diplomatic relations. Vietnam became the seventh member of ASEAN in July 1995.

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Major trends during the last two years

Although Party leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the decade-long programme of reform known as "Doi Moi", Vietnam's economy was largely shunted off centre stage for most of the year.

"Party looked at change and recoiled from it for the sake of unity. What we're left with is a holding pattern," said Carl Thayer a Vietnam specialist at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra.

"The party intends to reassert its authority over every facet of Vietnamese life: Economic, Political and Social," observes one major international magazine.

Early 1996, borrowing a page from China's anti-spiritual pollution campaign of the early 1980's, Vietnam launched its own battle against `social evils'. A new decree was issued imposing stricter controls on karaoke bars, massage parlours and video stores. Public bonfires of "impure" videocassettes, audio-tapes and pornographic materials were held in major cities. The decree outlawed the use of foreign words on certain kinds of advertising displays, prompting the police to rip down hundreds of billboards and advertisements put up by companies such as Coca-Cola and Sony.

The Government and Party continued taking a tough line on any hint of political dissent. In August 1996, two prominent critics of the Government were jailed for allegedly revealing state secrets - a former security official and a writer/scientist.

The press continued to operate under tight censorship rules, though some leeway was granted publications in exposing selected corruption cases. Several newspapers were shut down during the year, apparently for reporting on corruption cases with excessive zeal. The Far East Economic Review's Bureau chief in Hanoi was forced to leave Vietnam in 1997 when the government refused to extend his visa. No specific reasons were given.

The Government also acted to slow the growth of the Internet services in the country. They are concerned about the import of potentially damaging information and it is studying a decree, which would restrict Internet services to government-owned companies.

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Human rights
Vietnam knows several restrictions:

• Press is strictly controlled.
• There are still a number of political prisoners incarcerated.
• Unions are not allowed in the country, except those organs established by the government to represent different sectors of society like Workers' Union, women, youth (Young Pioneers), children, etc.
• Overseas travel for citizens very difficult.

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Information about the Church in Vietnam