Area: SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES

Module Title: Vietnam’s Đổi Mới in Comparative Historical Perspective

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Instructor Name : Thaveeporn Vasavakul

Contact Hours : 30 hours

Language of Instruction : English

Schedule : 05 Apr 2027 - 17 May 2027

Details :

The socialist reforms known as Đổi Mới took shape in reunified Vietnam in the 1980s, opening a new phase of twentieth-century nation- and state-building. Although Đổi Mới received formal endorsement at the Vietnamese Communist Party’s (VCP) Sixth National Congress in 1986, Vietnam’s departure from state socialism began much earlier. By the Fourteenth National Congress in 2026, Vietnam was moving into the era of national rise (kỷ nguyên vươn mình), with Đổi Mới’s socioeconomic effects continuing within this national framework. Rather than having a clear start or end date, Đổi Mới is a process encompassing concepts, practices, and policies that collectively moved Vietnam away from state socialism. This six-week module takes a comparative historical approach to Vietnam’s socialist reform project, considering reforms in other socialist countries alongside Vietnam’s experiences before Đổi Mới’s official endorsement in 1986. It explores the challenges of state socialism after reunification in 1975 and Vietnam’s paths away from it. Week 1 examines wartime initiatives, post-reunification challenges, and Đổi Mới’s phases and dimensions. Week 2 considers reform of the one-party state and evolving state–society relations. Week 3 addresses economic restructuring beyond central planning, growth models, social policy, and inequality. Week 4 explores family life, networks, economic stratification, and the middle classes amid capitalism’s rise. Week 5 examines literature’s reconsideration of war, socialism, and national identity, alongside the revival of life-cycle rituals. Week 6 considers institutional streamlining, state organization, and political authority, asking whether the era of national rise continues Đổi Mới or constitutes a distinct phase of transformation. By the end of the module, participants should be able to explain the historical origins and phases of Đổi Mới; compare Vietnam’s reform trajectory with experiences in other socialist countries and with Vietnam’s earlier history; analyze political, economic, social, ideological, and cultural change; and assess Đổi Mới’s transition into the era of national rise. The module is suited to students of modern Vietnam and professionals working on Vietnam or post-socialist states more broadly.

PDF File
Module Description- Vietnam's Doi Moi.pdf

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