ABSTRACT
Since its origins, the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) has professed a commitment to providing fair access to education and health services. The VCP has maintained this position even during periods of war and extreme poverty. Since the late 1980s, Vietnam has experienced unprecedented economic growth. Mainstream accounts of Vietnam’s development have focused on the undeniable benefits of economic growth, such as improved living standards. However, Vietnam’s market transition and its associated reinsertion into the regional and world economies entailed fundamental changes in the developmental and distributive roles of Vietnam’s state, from the national level down to the grassroots. An appreciation of these changes, their political and economic antecedents, and their lingering institutionalised effects is essential for understanding the conduct and outcomes of education and health policy in contemporary Vietnam.
