ABSTRACT
From 1981 to 1987 Vietnam's countryside applied a contractual system, in line with Resolution 100 of the Communist Party's Central Committee. Rural social and economic institutions and relations have changed profoundly since 1981 when renovation effectively began in rural areas. Emerging social and economic relations are combining elements of past traditions and modern techniques and aspirations. Vietnamese farmers, and women in particular, are the main people who have created these significant changes. This chapter reviews several changes in institutions and social relations resulting from the renovation policy. In the collectivization period, the state granted loans only to state-run units and cooperatives. But now peasants can borrow directly from agricultural banks under certain conditions. During the collectivization period, cooperatives underwrote many of the expenses for health and education with subsidies for basic salaries and some other programs coming from the provincial and central government.
