The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Vietnam

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam continues its dynamic course. Since 1986 the country has opened up, and the heady pace of the Doi Moi Reforms has continued in recent years. The successful APEC summit (2006) and Vietnam's official membership of the WTO (2007) appear to have stepped up the momentum. The Vietnamese economy can also look back on extremely successful years, with steadily high rates of growth and improved conditions for foreign direct investment.

Although the pace of economic reform has also had an impact on political reform processes, the quest for new political concepts is far from complete. The citizens of the country are acquiring broader and broader personal leeway with less immediate state interference in their everyday lives. A role for civil society organisations is also being debated more frequently, at least among the academic and political elite. At the same time, however, reprisals against "dissidents" increased again last year.

The prime concern of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung within this political context is to support the reform process. Projects consequently focus on promoting political reforms, strengthening the National Assembly in the separation of powers and professionalising the media. In the field of industrial relations and trade union activity, the emphasis is on promoting mechanisms for the balanced negotiation of interests, labour law and collective bargaining.