ABSTRACT
After the end of the American war in 1976, Vietnam was reunited as an independent country for the first time since 1884. The euphoria of having finally triumphed in their wars for national liberation was soon eclipsed, however, by the failure of the socialist economy. During the difficult years of the 1980s, food production in Quang xã dropped 35 percent compared to what it had been in 1975. From 1976 to 1985, average income in the xã declined by 50 percent. As such, the availability of food in 1985 was half of what it had been in 1975, lower than the northern average of about 12 kg a month per person.1 By 1986, the command economy had come under fierce attack, primarily as a result of the profound crisis in agriculture. Consequently, the 6th Party Congress of that year turned to what it termed market socialism to increase agricultural yields and to stimulate the economy. These economic reforms ushered in a new era: 1xi MSi, which means “new path,” or economic renovation.
