Vietnam: Rising Dragon

Vietnam is emerging as an Asian power, but its authoritarian political system complicates its apparent renaissance. Bill Hayton's book examines the costs of change and questions whether it is heading toward capitalism and democracy. He provides a fresh analysis of Vietnam's "police state" and its mechanisms of social control, coercion, and surveillance, and examines how these issues have emerged and where they will lead the nation in the next stage of its development.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 02 October 2020
Publisher: Yale University Press

The West's attention has recently shifted to China and India, but Vietnam is rapidly emerging among its Asian peers. A remarkable period of social transformation has witnessed foreign investment bringing capitalism into its nominally communist society, bustling cities engulfing smaller villages, and the allure of modern living tugging at the traditional networks of family and community. However, beneath these sweeping developments lies an authoritarian political system that complicates Vietnam's apparent renaissance. In this captivating work, experienced journalist Bill Hayton delves into the costs of change in Vietnam and raises questions about whether this rising Asian power is truly heading towards capitalism and democracy.

Based on vivid eyewitness accounts and pertinent case studies, Hayton's book explores a wide range of issues in today's Vietnam, including significant shifts in international relations, the growth of civil society, economic developments and challenges, and the nation's nascent democracy movement, as well as its notorious internal security. His analysis of Vietnam's "police state," characterized by its systematic mechanisms of social control, coercion, and surveillance, is both fresh and particularly pertinent when considered alongside his portraits of urban and street life, cultural legacies, religion, the media, and the arts. With a firm sense of historical and cultural context, Hayton examines how these issues have emerged and where they will lead Vietnam in the next stage of its development.

Weight: 314g
Dimension: 129 x 197 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780300249637