"No Responsibility and No Rice": The Rise and Fall of Agricultural Collectivization in Vietnam

 Communist leaders in Vietnam attempted to use agricultural collectivization to transform a poor, agrarian country into a modern, socialist nation with an industrialized economy. Collectivized agricultural production lacked sufficient economic incentives for Vietnamese farmers; they preferred to produce privately for household consumption or the free market. State-initiated reforms to collectivize agriculture failed to improve the performance of the agricultural sector, and eventually the Vietnamese Communist Party was forced to abandon collectivization altogether. Once farmers were freed from collective labor and could pursue private production for the free market, Vietnam’s agricultural output skyrocketed.
Flood Governance in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam: Implications of Social Learning for Household and Institutional Adaptation
............................................................................................................. iv Table of
Socialism in North Vietnam
The experience of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV, North Vietnam) in building socialism in the 10-year period since the Geneva Agreements is virtually unknown to the West. A recent study trip to Hanoi has led me to believe that this experience is of considerable interest and that the lessons to be learned are of value to those living far beyond the borders of this half-country. This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website , where most recent articles are published in full. Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.