Published: 00:00 Friday - November 21, 2008
A book about Vietnam’s transformation to a modern world, written by one of the leading experts on the economies of Southeast Asian countries, was published in the US on November 13.
In the book entitled “Vietnam Rising: Culture and Change in Asia's Tiger Cub”, author William Ratliff examines the remarkable, pro-market, pro-entrepreneurial changes that are part of the so-called ‘doi moi’ reforms underway in Vietnam.
He celebrated the remarkable development of the country, whose economy is expanding by 7 percent per year. Vietnam, he wrote, has renovated its economy while maintaining a commitment to Confucianism and socialism.
He also praised Vietnam for the “most successful antipoverty campaign ever undertaken anywhere”. Vietnam, which had experienced chronic food shortages for decades, has radically changed its course, greatly reducing the percentage of the poor population from more than 70 percent in the mid-1980s to 14.7 percent in 2007.
The book goes on to illuminate the hows and whys of entrepreneurial opportunities and the changes necessary to create a truly open, market-based, entrepreneurial climate in Vietnam. It also urged Vietnam to simultaneously nurture international cooperation and global trade relations in order to ensure sustainable growth.
