Vietnam: Whether a person who has never been a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam would be able to find any type of work, and if not, recourse available; responsibilities involved with becoming a Communist Party member (January 2000 to February 2001)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 5 March 2001 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | VNM36408.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Vietnam: Whether a person who has never been a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam would be able to find any type of work, and if not, recourse available; responsibilities involved with becoming a Communist Party member (January 2000 to February 2001) , 5 March 2001, VNM36408.E , available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4bec5c.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
On the issue of membership in the Vietnamese Communist Party (CPV) as it relates to employment opportunities in the country, Country Reports 2000 states that:
Membership in the CPV remains an aid to advancement in the Government or in state companies and is vital for promotion to senior levels of the Government. At the same time, diversification of the economy has made membership in CPV-controlled mass organizations and the CPV less essential to financial and social advancement (2001, Sec. 1f).
This information is corroborated by some sources.
The U.S. Vietnam Trade Council states that party membership remained the best way to obtain employment in the public sector (24 Aug. 2000). Dan Dinh Duc, a Communist Party member, was cited in a Mercury News report as saying that party connections were necessary to obtain employment in government or in the Party (6 Feb. 2000).
The Times of India reported in January 2001 that although membership in the Communist Party of Vietnam had remained around 2.3 million out of a population of 78 million people, the Party had become increasingly irrelevant for the younger generation who were seeking job opportunities in the private sector in light of a 10 per cent unemployment rate (18 Jan. 2001). Similarly, the U.S. Vietnam Trade Council reported that many of Vietnam's "best and brightest" were seeking opportunity in the country's thriving business sector and found less value in pursuing party membership (24 Aug. 2000). Furthermore, "the dynamics of economic transition and persistent corruption persuade many young people to eschew membership" (ibid.). The Mercury News also reports that fewer young Vietnamese were joining the party and that political apathy among them was widespread (6 Feb. 2000).
The Mercury News stated that Communist Party membership consisted mostly of "farmers, government careerists, military officers and conscripts, and workers in state-owned agencies and factories" with youth, blue-collar workers and intellectuals avoiding membership (ibid.). Pham Van Dong, a party leader in the Vietnamese province of Thai Nguyen, stated that the average age of party members there was over 55 years old (ibid.). He said that most youths were more interested in working and "making money" than in joining the Party (ibid.).
With regard to the process involved in becoming a Communist Party member in Vietnam, both the U.S. Vietnam Trade Council and the Mercury News reports provide information.
Children joined the "red-scarved Young Pioneers" and by the eighth grade, would be inducted into the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union which had a membership of 3.5 million; the Youth Union, a social-services organization, was responsible for making recommendations to the Communist Party and for screening out "the undesirables" (Mercury News 6 Feb. 2000). Pham Van Dong reported that many youths were "refusing to 'graduate' into party membership" (ibid.). Evaluation of party membership for Dang Dinh Duc, a member of the Youth Union, was described this way:
Members of their local party cell in Hanoi will examine Duc's service records in the Young Pioneers and the Youth Union, and they'll explore his family background for subversive elements. It's not an easy process, and not all applicants are passed along (ibid.).
To prove their suitability for membership in the party, young people engage in services such as building roads and curbing illiteracy during their summer holidays (U.S. Vietnam Trade Council 24 Aug. 2000). They must also follow a code of conduct of 19 rules which includes "no drunkenness and no snuggling with waitresses at karaoke bars or beer halls" (ibid.). Drinking wine and smoking was also discouraged for Young Pioneers (Mercury News 6 Feb. 2000).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2000 . 2001. United States Department of State. Washington, DC.
Mercury News [San Jose, Calif.]. 6 February 2000. Mark MacDonald. "Vietnam's Communist Party Stuggles to Attract Youths."
The Times of India [New Delhi]. 18 January 2001. "Communist Party Chief Warns of Increasing Corruption."
U.S. Vietnam Trade Council. 24 August 2000. Margot Cohen. "The Communist Party Seeks Fresh Blood as it Struggles to Rejuvenate Itself."
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB Databases
LEXIS/NEXIS
World News Connection (WNC)
Internet Sites including:
Amnesty International
Asia Week.com
The Communist Party of Vietnam
Far Eastern Economic Review
Freedom House
Human Rights Watch
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