Vietnam Communist Party

Communist Vietnam has blocked a motley crew of independent candidates from running for its rubber-stamp parliament, a move activists said highlights its empty gestures towards democracy.

Vietnam has a long history of conflict with its large neighbor to the north, China. Conservative and incumbent Nguyen Phu Trong bested populist Nguyen Tan Dung in a contest for chief of the Vietnamese Communist Party. “Reforms will continue, albeit at a slower pace, as would increasingly closer ties with the United States,” explains Vietnamese journalist and Fulbright scholar Dien Luong. Likewise, he predicts, Vietnam’s economic and foreign policies will not fundamentally change. Trong would be wise to listen to public opinion about an aggressive China. Vietnamese policymakers and citizens must likewise determine if the United States is a dependable partner—whether the United States might cut a deal with China, sidelining Vietnam, or should even consider confronting China over issues like the South China Sea. In the end, Luong concludes, a thorough public understanding of complex issues combined with public support is essential for the success of any nation’s system of government.