ABSTRACT
The crisis that has shaken Vietnam has profound social dimensions. Poverty is the country’s most serious social problem, stemming from a long history of political conflict and failed economic policies. Recent economic reforms, on the other hand, create a host of new social problems, including official corruption, urban unemployment, and declining medical and educational services. Still other social issues that have their roots in the politics of the past remain to be resolved, including relations with the ethnic Chinese minority, with upland tribal minorities, and with Buddhists and Catholics. Vietnamese authorities have indicated some degree of concern about most of these matters, although adequate policy responses in some cases may be some time in coming. Foreign assistance could help speed the resolution of some issues and improve the environment for attention to others.
