22178_11003_02_Proceeding_Roundtable

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES EMBASSY OF SWEDEN HANOI PROCEEDINGS FROM THE SECOND HIGH LEVEL ROUNDTABLE MEETING ON 20 YEAR REVIEW OF DOI MOI HANOI: 30th June - 1st July 2005 These proceedings were drafted by VASS and UNDP Vietnam PROCEEDINGS FROM THE SECOND HIGH LEVEL ROUNDTABLE MEETING ON 20 YEAR REVIEW OF DOI MOI PROCEEDINGS FROM THE SECOND HIGH LEVEL ROUNDTABLE MEETING ON 20 YEAR REVIEW OF DOI MOI TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS INTRODUCTION PROCEEDINGS Opening ceremony and keynote address Opening remarks by Prof Do Hoai Nam Introductory remarks by Mr Jordan Ryan 11 Introductory remarks by Ms Anna Lindstedt 13 KEYNOTE ADDRESS 15 Governing the market in a globalizing world - Prof Robert Wade 15 Panellist perspective 41 PANEL I: LAW REFORM, STATE - SOCIETY RELATIONS AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS IN ASIAN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE 45 The regulation of social organizations in Asian comparative perspective - Prof Mark Sidel 45 Panellist’s perspectives 61 PANEL II: THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CAUSES OF RISING INEQUALITY 71 Vietnam inequality report 2005: Assessment and policy choices - Dr Scott Fritzen 71 Panellists’ perspectives 127 PANEL III: INTEGRATION AND RAPID POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE IN EAST AND SOUTHEAST ASIA 136 The changing regional geopolitical landscape: Implications for Vietnam - Prof Carlyle A Thayer 136 Panellists’ perspectives 147 CLOSING REMARKS 157 PROCEEDINGS FROM THE SECOND HIGH LEVEL ROUNDTABLE MEETING ON 20 YEAR REVIEW OF DOI MOI Closing remarks by Mr Jordan Ryan 157 Closing remarks by Prof Do Hoai Nam 157 ANNEX 159 PROCEEDINGS FROM THE SECOND HIGH LEVEL ROUNDTABLE MEETING ON 20 YEAR REVIEW OF DOI MOI ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ABE Alternative Basic Education ACFTA ASEAN-China Free Trade Area AFTA ASEAN Free Trade Agreement APT ASEAN Plus Three Summit ARF ASEAN Regional Forum ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations BMI Body Mass Index CDMA Code Division Multiple Access CPSU Communist Party of the Soviet Union CPV Communist Party of Vietnam DfID Department for International Development ETRI Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute EU European Union FDI Foreign Direct Investment GCI Gini Coefficient Index GDP Gross Domestic Product GEMS Global Economic Multilaterals GM General Motors GMS Greater Mekong Sub-region GNI Gross National Income ICBM Inter-Continental Balistic Missile IDB Industrial Development Bureau IMF International Monetary Fund ITRI Industrial Technology Research Institute MDG Millennium Development Goal PROCEEDINGS FROM THE SECOND HIGH LEVEL ROUNDTABLE MEETING ON 20 YEAR REVIEW OF DOI MOI MIC Ministry of Information and Communication MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology MNC Multinational Corporations MRC Mekong River Commission NGO Non-Governmental Organisation NPO Non-Profit Organisations NTP National Target Programme ODA Overseas Development Assistance OECD Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development PBO Public Benefit Organisations PLA People’s Liberation Army PPP Purchasing Power Parity PRSP Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper SIDA Swedish International Development Agency SOE State-Owned Enterprise TFC Taxes, Fees and Contributions TRIMS Trade-Related Investments Resources UN United Nations UNDP United Nations Development Program US United States VASS Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences VBSP Vietnam Bank for Social Policies VHLSS Vietnam Household Living Standard Survey VLSS Vietnam Living Standard Survey WTO World Trade Organisation PROCEEDINGS FROM THE SECOND HIGH LEVEL ROUNDTABLE MEETING ON 20 YEAR REVIEW OF DOI MOI INTRODUCTION In preparation for the Tenth National Party Congress in early 2006, the Communist Party and Government of Vietnam plan to undertake a thorough review of the doi moi, or "renovation" period since 1986 Led by the Steering Committee for the Review created by the Party, a broad based national consultation process is being launched involving all provinces and major cities to collect national perspectives on the success and failures of doi moi to help point the direction for further success At the same time, the Party and government are keen to consult with the foreign community for their comments and suggestions for the Review The "Assistance to the 20 Year Review of doi moi in Vietnam" project is a joint initiative by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Embassy of Sweden in Hanoi, and the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) intended to complement the national consultation process by supporting VASS in three areas First, the project will contribute to new research of critical aspects of doi moi, economic transition and other related policies Second, the project will help to widen participation in national consultations to include all interested sectors of society Third, the project will strengthen national capacity in research management, applied policy research and policy advocacy The Second High Level Roundtable Meeting was held in Hanoi on 30 June July 2005 gathering 237 participants (200 from Vietnamese institutions and 37 from international organisations) Most of the Vietnamese institutions involved in reviewing the doi moi process in preparation for the next Party Congress and working on Vietnam’s development strategy were present at the meeting Among the list of 237 participants, the roundtable meeting benefited from the presence of Mr Jordan Ryan, Resident Representative of UNDP in Hanoi; Ms Anna Lindstedt, Ambassador of Sweden to Vietnam, Prof Robert H Wade, London School of Economics; Prof Do Hoai Nam, Member of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences PROCEEDINGS FROM THE SECOND HIGH LEVEL ROUNDTABLE MEETING ON 20 YEAR REVIEW OF DOI MOI The Second High Level Roundtable Meeting aimed, first, to delineate the areas for contribution to the national consultation process of reviewing 20 years of doi moi in Vietnam and, second, to propose new areas for further and new research on different aspects of doi moi relevant for policy decision makers PROCEEDINGS FROM THE SECOND HIGH LEVEL ROUNDTABLE MEETING ON 20 YEAR REVIEW OF DOI MOI PROCEEDINGS OPENING CEREMONY AND KEYNOTE ADDRESS Co-Chairs: Prof Do Hoai Nam, Chairman, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences Mr Jordan Ryan, Resident Representative, UNDP Vietnam Ms Anna Lindstedt, Ambassador of Sweden to Vietnam Keynote Address: Prof Robert H Wade, London School of Economics OPENING REMARKS BY PROF DO HOAI NAM Your Excellency Mr Jordan Ryan, UNDP Resident Representative in Ha Noi, Your Excellency Ms Anna Lindstedt, Ambassador of Sweden to Vietnam, Ladies and Gentlemen, On behalf of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, I would like to extend my warmest greetings and sincere thanks to all of you for attending this Second High Level Roundtable Meeting on the 20 Year Review of doi Moi in Vietnam I believe that this meeting is a good forum for international and Vietnamese scholars to discuss the doi moi reform process in Vietnam, draw lessons learned and provide necessary recommendations for promoting a stronger, more comprehensive and more balanced reform process in the 2006 - 2010 period with a vision to 2020 Looking back on the past 20 years of doi moi, Vietnam has drawn for itself some lessons learned as follows: Approaches to doi moi and related policies must be independent The doi moi process in Vietnam did not follow any foreign models Vietnam was very interested in seeking and learning from international experiences to find its own solutions to its development problems PROCEEDINGS FROM THE SECOND HIGH LEVEL ROUNDTABLE MEETING ON 20 YEAR REVIEW OF DOI MOI Doi moi must be a comprehensive and balanced reform process, adopting a road map and a way of implementation that are relevant to Vietnam and its people The doi moi process in Vietnam started first with the renovation of thinking But such renovation of thinking stemmed from the renovation of economic thinking To date, Vietnam has carried out its doi moi reform process in all fields, including economic, political, cultural and social reforms as well as renovation of human development, external relations, national defence and security, the State and the Party The doi moi process must be based on socio-political stability, and its gains must serve the goal of human development in Vietnam The doi moi process must fully tap all domestic resources while mobilising all external resources through developing the country’s market economy and promoting its proactive and strong international economic integration process Vietnam’s economy is a market economy However, we must make greater efforts to simultaneously address three issues: ensuring smooth operation of the market economy in Vietnam; building a social protection system; and developing a monitoring mechanism to ensure transparency and equality of economic actors In the next five years, Vietnam will deepen its integration into the world’s economic and political environments in compliance with the principles of respecting national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, not interfering in each other’s internal affairs as well as enjoying equality and mutual benefits Vietnam will be actively engaged in activities to promote peace, stability and development cooperation During the doi moi process, efforts must be made to firmly maintain the leadership of the Vietnam Communist Party, intensify the building of a rule of law state as well as to promote people’s rights and the roles of social organisations Ladies and Gentlemen, Our country’s aim is to get itself removed from the list of poor countries by 2010 at the latest In the next five years, Vietnam will develop its economy in a faster, more effective and more sustainable manner, better address social and cultural issues, link economic growth to further poverty reduction and human development, promote its proactive and strong international integration process on all three (global, regional and bilateral) levels, mobilise all available resources in order to shorten the period of industrialisation and modernisation so that 10