The impact of China on governance structures in Vietnam

The impact of China on governance structures

in Vietnam

Jörn Dosch

Alexander L. Vuving

DIE Research Project

“The Impact of Russia, India and China on Governance

Structures in their Regional Environment (RICGOV)”

Bonn 2008

Discussion Paper / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik

ISSN 1860-0441

Dosch, Jörn: The impact of China on governance structures in Vietnam / Jörn Dosch ;

Alexander L. Vuving. DIE Research Project “The Impact of Russia, India and China on

Governance Structures in their Regional Environment (RICGOV)”. – Bonn: DIE, 2008. –

(Discussion Paper / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik ; 14/2008)

ISBN: 978-3-88985-404-9

Prof. Dr. Jörn Dosch, University of Leeds, UK

E-Mail: [email protected]

Prof. Dr. Alexander L. Vuving, Tulane University, USA

E-Mail: [email protected]

This Discussion Paper has been written as part of the DIE research project “The Impact of Russia, India and

China on Governance Structures in their Regional Environment (RICGOV)”. Funding by the German Minis￾try for Economic Cooperation and Development is gratefully acknowledged.

© Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik gGmbH

Tulpenfeld 6, 53113 Bonn

℡ +49 (0)228 94927-0

 +49 (0)228 94927-130

E-Mail: [email protected]

http://www.die-gdi.de

Abstract

This paper addresses the question as to how and to what degree the form of political order

in Vietnam has been influenced by China. How and to what extent have Vietnam’s gov￾ernance structures been converged toward or diverged from the Chinese model of political

organization and rule? Similarities of governance structures in Vietnam and China are

primarily the result of analogy or the fact that both regimes have faced comparable chal￾lenges first with regard to their respective national revolutionary struggles and later the

establishment and institutional fostering of communist rule, acted under similar conditions

and pursued similar goals which have resulted in the part convergence of the two coun￾tries’ political institutions, structures, and practices that occurred without the direct exer￾cise of influence. The most prominent example of chasing analogous objectives certainly

refers to the economic reform processes toward market systems and the integration in

global economic structures without touching the main pillars of the respective political

orders. Overall, the convergence of governance systems in Vietnam and China lies in

principles and policy (the value system of reform) rather than in structures and polity.

Vietnam’s learning from China is more a “path imitation” than “model imitation.”