An American In Vietnam: Peep that Diet Communism
- Nikola Ranick
- Oct 2, 2025
- 6 min read
Modern Vietnam is (mostly) a case-study in development because its ideology stays just that, while its policy remains dynamic - for now
By far the biggest country in mainland Southeast Asia, Vietnam clocks in at just above 100 million people, nearly 1/3 larger than its second, Thailand. With a GDP per-capita of just under 20k, when adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP), it is certainly still a developing nation. Yet its explosive growth in recent decades speaks for itself - and not just via the millions of lawless motorbikes that WILL indiscriminately run you over at any corner. The energy and development, even despite lingering inequality and an aging population, is evident. The country seems socially and politically unified, with communist insignia weaved ornately into national lore, state history, and decorative banners that flow in commercial neighborhoods. That however, may be as far as the pure bread ideology goes.
Party bureaucracy and machinations govern the country's economic and (public-facing) culture, but in a way similar to many quasi-democratic or authoritarian countries. In a world where select groups of elites can too easily pull all the strings, Vietnam finds itself in no worse than Brunei or El Salvador, and potentially better off than similarly socialist Nicaragua.
The country's development model is common for Asian countries that historically embraced globalization and grown quickly- steep differences between the rich and poor but, more determatively, quick growth and upward mobility through a rigorous education, punishing work ethic, and an ironclad social contract that siphons out complaints (and genuine concerns). Yet, censorship, even in the sainted capital of Hanoi, seemed mild at best. Case-in-point, I was shocked to see a foreign couple openly chiding Party-Loyal Staff of the propegandic nature of the Ho Chi Minh Museum (as brazen as dissing Lenin in the early Soviet Union).
Sure, VPNs are limited and local news is enforced, but many cities exude a cultural freedom familiar to any major city, gay-friendliness included (of course, the amount of women soliciting me for sex proves the country still needs some self-awareness). Speaking of sexual politics, Vietnam was my first foray into the uniquely Southeast Asian mold of wealth marriage and sex trafficking. Countless elderly white men fill the urban cities in lockstep with their Southeast Asian lovers, and occasionally young children trotting by side. To say it is a culture in and of itself is an understatement, but surely not one where the dominant party (the men from the UK, US, Canada, Australia, et al) would care to elaborate. Furthermore, even Central Hanoi contains overflowing streets full of prostitutes and openly haranguing sex workers. Beyond the common refrain of 'special massages' from winking workers, I received at least a dozen straightforward offers of sex, including pimps flashing me their 'sample videos' and handsy woman trying to give me a taste of their performance. After stumbling through another mass of bodies on one of my later nights, a woman grabbing at me screamed "I love you!," of which I dutifully responded, "I love you two!" #ally
Don't worry winos, there are also a shit ton of vendors that will chase you down the street screaming for you to buy a drink. It is an abrasive brand of tourism that Southeast Asia is becoming more and more known for. And especially as Thailand's currency appreciates and its specific gimmicks get old, Vietnam looks to continue making impressive inroads into the market. Alas, in addition to being a notoriously unequal industry, this economic model is obviously not sterling to Karl Marx. It surely wouldn't be to Ho Chi Minh, whose body lies only a kilometer away from its heart.
Is Vietnam more lax towards tourists? Of course! But that doesn't mean the image of this communist land as a rigid state complex buries a lot of nuance. Even its Glorious Leader's Mausoleum denotes an obnoxious amount of thought with such riveting exhibits as 'The Communist Party's Headquarters but redesigned in homage to the human mind,' whatever that means. And I was pleasantly surprised by multiple museums' willingness to refer to Communist Party Propaganda simply as that and not any other harbinger of truth or honest reporting.
My second stop was Hai Phong, just a few hours east of Hanoi. It really captured this country's dual shift in economic motivations. An oceanside province, this satellite city has seen strong growth that even Google Maps cannot keep track of - many open water masses proved themselves to be filled ports with business and heavy industry actively running. As with Kaohsiung, it created a dichotomy of glitzy new development alongside older towns just on the periphery and (likely) soon to be wiped out. That is to say nothing of more storied nature excursions such as that in Ha Long Bay.
Hai Phong's Old School Port and Island Towns: enjoy them while they are still here
I was very intrigued by this country's newer developments in Eco-tourism. On the Cat Hai island, the only solid infrastructure was a brand spanking new incline taking you from the mainland to its remote pockets of boojie tourist enclaves. Many wealthy Southeast and Chinese chose these spots for their vacations. Ultimately, this strategy seems prudent. As trade faces a potential boom with near-shoring or bust with only home-shoring, tourism could shift from a partial economic strategy to an exclusive one. It is not exactly a positive indicator overall but any growth is better than none at all.
While Hanoi is both the party's headquarters and its historical home base, the commercial capital is still Ho Chi Minh City, a renaming of Saigon that no one except me and communist officials used. Its continual exceptionalism is both surprising and not to this history affacionado, as you would figure resources concentrated in the Communist North would result in further development there. Then again, as Vietnam's many museums will let you know, the world bombed the shit out of the North. And dynastic politics of the country's ancestors also favored its southern region. Divisions between North and South were historic in terms of rival kingdoms that would jockey influence between other kingdoms located centrally around modern Da Nang. Even as the country further develops and concentrates regional authorities, I wouldn't expect those intrinsic dynamics to change.
As my initial Instagram post captured, nothing took me out further than the statue of HO Chi Minh surrounded by designer brand stores in the urban center. Even in the south and with a lax propagandic regime, this felt a bit too on-point. So did newer developments in the urban periphery and suburbs where French faux architecture decorates private streets and guarded residential developments that would make any collectivist ideologue groan- unless, of course, it was their neighborhood.
These public-facing ironies are perhaps why Vietnam does not feel communist; despite the party infrastructure and a few high minded praises, there are no true communist ideologues left. While the Chinese model both opens up economically and prostrates itself under Xi Jinping rather than collectivism, Vietnam should be credited for following its positive lessons. That is all the more commendable given that the nation's blood soaked Civil War should have actually provoked radicalism. Granted it did in the lost decade after unionification. But just like China's Great Leap Forward, the party and its people pivoted to pragmatism even if it meant cooperating with a system run by its previous colonial overlords.
Similar to the Chinese model, Vietnam had several recent crackdowns regarding influence peddling. Less Chinese though was that it did not target the private sector as much as its own leadership. That is a laudable self-awareness that its southern neighbor could now learn from, even as To Lam, Vietnam's de-facto leader, looks to fill this leadership vacuum with his own lackeys. Yet the lack of private sector taming could anchor Vietnam to faulty companies like Vinfast in an era of ambiguous growth. Most worryingly, Vietnam may also fall victim to a Demographic Cliff: It could get old before it gets rich.
Nonetheless, The Land of The Blue Dragon is deserving of much praise internationally and pride internally. In playing off-and-on niceties with China, it is equally as magnanimous with Americans. Beyond a Museum of War in Saigon, the only one that truly skewers the 'Paper Dragon' and its war atrocities, the Vietnamese emphasize an abundantly conciliatory tone. In the political prison-turned-museum in Hanoi, scholars detail partnerships with US government and Veteran organizations to repatriate remains, rebuild infrastructure, and engage in cultural exchange between war combatants. For the most part, despite the boast of beating a seemingly superior foreign power, Vietnam shows what victory with grace can look like.
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