“FIFTY YEARS SINCE THE END OF THE VIETNAM WAR: REFLECTIONS ON THE CENTURY-LONG STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY IN VIETNAM”
Tuong Vu
Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Oregon
This year marks the 50th anniversary of not only the end of war but also the consolidation of the communist dictatorship over the entire Vietnam. Together with neighboring China, North Korea, and Laos, this dictatorship has survived the collapse of the communist bloc and continued to resist pressure for democratization. This talk will examine the century-long Vietnamese struggle for freedom and democracy and the causes of authoritarian durability in Vietnam as one of five remaining communist countries in the world. I hope to show how democratic ideals have appealed strongly to many generations of Vietnamese and will likely determine their country’s fate in the future.
