Vietnam Undergoes Steady Economic & Cultural Development

Md Amin

ON the invitation of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, I visited Vietnam from October 2 to 8 along with Kuttiamma of Kerala, Prakash Raj Khoa of Assam and Viraiya of Andhra Pradesh --- all as representatives of the CITU.

After a devastating war, which lasted for about 30 years, the Vietnamese people have not only been able to reconstruct the country but have made remarkable progresses in all spheres of economy. We had the opportunity to discuss issues in detail with the central leaders of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour as well as with the leaders of the Communist Party of Vietnam. We visited a fertiliser factory, a transport factory and a very big hydro-electrical project. All these units symbolise the remarkable progress they have made. Reconstruction is going on all over Vietnam, in which the people are working unitedly and with exemplary discipline.

We were told that there are 10 per cent of the people unemployed and 7 per cent people are below the poverty line but the literacy rate is 95 per cent in Vietnam. All the people are getting adequate food, shelter and clothe, health care and social security. Economic development is very steady and Vietnam is the second largest country of the world in rice export. The GDP growth rate this year is 8 per cent.

We also visited a village where we found that all the houses were made of bricks and cement and they were mostly two storeyed. There is not a single person without a shelter. The widows of those who died in war are being paid pension and the state takes care of their children also. The Buddhist religion has influence over a large number of people; there are some Christians and Muslims also. But all the people live and work together. There is no conflict or dissension whatsoever on the basis of religion. The country pas a population of about 80 million.

In Vietnam, huge areas are covered with mountains, sea and rivers. The climate is excellent and the people are generally sober, soft-spoken, simple and hard working.

The Vietnamese are today experimenting with what they call a “market economy with socialist orientation.” The Communist Party of Vietnam is very strong and trade unions also have a very large following. We were informed that the trade unions have constructed many hotels, and maintain these themselves. In the cities, the main mode of transport is scooter; these are being manufactured in Vietnam itself. At the peak hours for offices and factories, thousands of workers --- both male and female --- are seen on the road at the same time. Buses are also there, and some of these are owned by offices and departments to bring their employees from their places of residence to their places of work.

We also talked to some workers and peasants. They told us with confidence that after their defeat in Vietnam the French and American imperialists would never think of coming to Vietnam again. The patriotism and unity of the working class is of paramount importance. They told us that the Vietnamese people would attain an unprecedented economic and cultural development within the next 10 years.

We all pledged to build up strong fraternal relations between the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions.