Work & Academics

Amy Mowl | Pham Phung | Darcelle Pruitt | Ananda Mahto
China/Vietnam | Study Abroad 1999

Foreword

In the 25 years since the American government withdrew financial and military support from the former South Vietnamese State the unified government of Vietnam has worked to recover from the destructive impacts of the war. In 1975 the Vietnamese government inherited a country on the verge of economic collapse. Through the progressive steps of central planning, agricultural reform, state owned enterprises, the economic restructuring of doi moi, and the steps taken toward opening up to global trade, Vietnam has sought a path to provide stability for its people.  Through a stable national policy, Vietnam hopes to create a harmonious national environment, equity within society, ensure social welfare, alleviate poverty, and balance citizen’s rights with their responsibilities.

In this paper we will address Vietnam’s economy after the war, the restructuring of the economy under doi moi, foreign policy implications, and the successes and failures of the Vietnamese government and foreign aid donors in achieving domestic policy goals.  In section one we will discuss in detail the situation after the war, the initial economic plans, and the beginning steps toward decentralized economic planning.  In section two we will introduce Doi Moi, discuss Vietnam’s hesitance to enter the free market economy, and look at some achievements of Doi Moi.  Section three will address Vietnam’s foreign economic policy, the benefits of foreign investment in Vietnam , the drawbacks for foreign investors, Vietnam’s trade imbalance, and the U.S. economic embargo.  In section four we will examine Vietnam’s domestic policy priorities using the education and health care systems to analyze the implementation of domestic policies, examine the overall effect Doi Moi has had in attaining public goals, and look at foreign aid donors as participants in reaching domestic policy goals.  Finally, in section five we will summarize our findings and make policy recommendations intended to further the economic and social development goals of Vietnam.

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Cultural Norms

Early in the morning of September 5^th, 1999, I was saying goodbye to my mother and my co-worker at the Santa Barbara Airport. A short while later, I was in San Francisco, waiting with thirty other students, to leave for Asia. We had arrived at the airport quite early, but soon enough, we were on a plane to South Korea.

We got to South Korea on the evening of the sixth. We made our way through customs fairly efficiently, then made our way outside. It was warm, but drizzling. During the bus ride to the YMCA Hotel that we were going to stay at, I got a sense of how large Seoul was. There were many huge sky-rises with packed apartments. They were all inhabited, but they often seemed to take on the appearance of neglect. This turned out to be one of the most obvious observations throughout China, South Korea (Seoul at least), and what I have seen of Vietnam.

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Questions:

• In what ways did the rise of Islam influence Jewish life?
• In broad terms, what impacts did the dominant Christians have on European Jews?
• List five practices or beliefs that distinguish Orthodox Judaism.
• Briefly summarize the development and practice of Reform Judaism.
• Paul is said to have defined the relationship of Christians to Judaism. Summarize the significant teachings of Paul in this regard.
• Identify the two key Christian sacraments. Describe the beliefs and practices associated with each.
• What kind of person was Muhammad? How was he viewed by his family, by his followers, and by those who opposed him?
• Describe the Qur’an and its place in Islam.
• How does science view the universe, the earth, and human beings?
• Marxist Communism has shown a number of parallels with religions. Explain.

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