Vietnam and its new reformer

       In terms of internet freedom, Vietnam now ranks near the bottom of global league tables, just above China and Iran. The main reason for the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) ’s defensiveness is its mismanagement of the economy. Only five years ago the country was lauded as the new Asian tiger, notching up record growth rates. Yet now the old structural problems of a largely unreformed socialist economic system have caught up with it. Everyone, even the Communist leaders, agrees that the main culprits are the state-owned enterprises (SOEs) through which the party tries to manage the economy in traditional socialist style. Often the SOEs seem to be run mainly for the benefit of party members, many of whom are now very rich. Little actions have been made to tackle corruption. Finally, the party appointed Mr Nguyen Ba Thanh, a man with reputation for charisma and blunt, plain-speaking effectiveness. He carries the hopes of reformers that he can reproduce this at the national level.
       In my opinion, it is hard for Mr. Thanh to successfully heal the corruption's illness of CPV, because the corruption has been there for a long time. If corruption disappears, CPV needs to be gone. However, people's expectation for a role model like Mr.Thanh is understandable. It will be challenging, but it is good to have someone who can inspire and provide a sense of hope for the people.
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21570732-scandal-ridden-party-lashes-out-dissent-and-tries-tackle-corruption-thanh-man