ABSTRACT
The Marxist-Leninist leaders of Cuba and Vietnam found their economic wellsprings to have run dry and their ideological legitimacy to be under furious attack. This chapter addresses some questions such as to what extent are the experiences of the Cuba and Vietnam regimes comparable? How has each responded, thus far, to the challenges of the post-cold war era? How has each regime weathered the economic storm in which the Soviet and East European Marxist states foundered and sank? Whose prospects for immediate economic development appear rosier and why? It analyses the post-cold war developments. The chapter compares the revolutionary experiences and economic transitions of Cuba and Vietnam, focusing on four cardinal factors: economic policy, national culture, leadership, and regionalism. It discusses some of the more troublesome obstacles each country faces. The Hanoi leadership responded to the economic crisis not by increasing the nation's dependence on the Soviets, but by embracing market reforms and maintaining Vietnam's long-sought political and economic independence.
