ABSTRACT
In 1992 the Vietnamese economy made quite creditable progress overall: inflation fell, production increased considerably, and the country registered its first ever trade surplus. In 1992 Vietnam exported two million tonnes of rice. By the end of January 1993 the country had exported another 500,000 tonnes, an accomplishment which has drawn praise from even the most critical of experts on Vietnam. Regarding the results, there is obviously a consensus. In most of the southern villages visited, the majority of peasant households (four to five people) farm about one hectare of land. This level coincides with the average area of land per agricultural population for the southern delta region as a whole. The concentration of land is linked not only to a greater differentiation of rich and poor, but also to the emergence of a division of labor within agriculture.
