ABSTRACT
Vietnam's 1986 doi moi reforms are transforming Vietnam from a socialist economy to a socialist market economy. In addition to liberalized laws allowing access to foreign trade and investment, this shift has prompted the growth of knowledge-based economies that require people who are highly literate in English. The women with whom author spoke also provided evidence that the shift to capitalism is in part an emotional shift, but in some ways the new emotional stances required to buy into capitalism complement the emotional stances and investments Vietnamese citizens are already encouraged to have. The English textbooks and magazines the author surveyed consistently featured readings about politically neutral news events and cultural phenomena. Thuy’s feelings of frustration, regret, and irritation are evidence that capitalism cannot completely deliver on its promises.
