The transformation of the Vietnamese economy from socialist planning to a market economy has led to Vietnam having one of the fastest economic growth rates in the world; and to also to Vietnam engaging much more with the international economy, joining the World Trade Organisation in 2006. This book fills a significant gap by surveying the economic reforms in Vietnam, where most studies have concentrated on other ‘young tiger’ economies. In particular it discusses the transformation of employment relations which have been a key part of the reforms and a necessary pre-condition to WTO membership. It examines the nature of employment reforms, analyses the motivation behind new policy initiatives and examines the detail of reforms in a range of business enterprises, reporting on extensive original research. Throughout it shows how several key forces have interacted – globalisation, government political interests, national cultural norms, market, managerial ideology and the special characteristics of particular firms – to produce a particular Vietnamese brand of post-communist market economy. Overall, this book illuminates the how employment relation practices are formed in transitional economies, and more broadly the economic and political transformation of socialist economies in the context of the global market.

Vietnam, along with China, stands out as a rare success story among transition economics. This authoritative study of the reform process since 1989 pays particular attention to the way the macroeconomics framework can contribute to an environment that encourages human development and helps to reduce poverty. Thus there are chapters on macroeconomics reforms, international trade policies, the role of the state, rural development, education and health, environmental issues and poverty and gender inequality. Although areas of weakness are indicated, emphasis is placed on the success Vietnam has experienced compared to other transition economies. The lessons of both the successes and failures of the reform process for policymakers elsewhere are outlined.

Vietnam's economy has been fundamentally changed by the policy reforms implemented in the 1980s to provide an environment that is more conducive for economic growth and social stabilization. The policy reforms have had a tremendous impact on economic activities and on all aspects of social life. The economy is presently moving from a centrally planned system largely based on public ownership to a market-oriented and mixed economy. Social structures and values have changed, and legal, institutional, and administrative systems are gradually changing as well. The reform process gives rise to exciting challenges and opportunities for development. Based largely on Vietnamese sources of data and information, this book presents an analysis of the main features of economic policy reforms in Vietnam, their socioeconomic impact, and several major theoretical and practical problems Vietnam faces on its path to development.

Vietnam's bold economic reforms initiated under the title of Doi Moi in 1986 have produced spectacular economic outcomes which have fascinated economists, business people, commerce students, political scientists and government advisors alike worldwide. This book surveys important aspects of these developments, analyses the main contributing factors, provides useful references on developing and transitional economies, and details soundly researched prospects in trade, investment and business in this new rapidly developing market economy in East Asia.

The society and economy of Vietnam is still characterised by a rapid transformation process. There is high economic and political pressure. coming not only from internal developments but also from foreign countries. This groundbreaking book takes stock of the rapid processes of change in the labour market and the industrial relations of Vietnam. The contributions of Vietnamese and international experts cover the institutional arrangements of the labour market and of the system of industrial relations, and they also look at consequences for welfare and social inequality and treat the relation between culture and the economy in the country. Further contributions compare Vietnam with other developing country and analyse the relationships between international and Vietnamese labour markets. They also address the key question as to whether Asia is a new focal point of industrial conflicts.

This dissertation examines employer-employee relationships in domestic services in urban Hanoi in order to contribute to a fuller understanding of gender and class relations under economic reforms in Vietnam since 1986. Ethnographic fieldwork was conducted with 24 female domestic workers and their employers, owners of domestic employment agencies, rural recruiters, former domestic workers, domestics' relatives in Hanoi and in Vinh Phuc province. I argue that due to a gender bias in state policies and local discourses, both female domestic workers and their female employers have suffered similarly from economic reforms. The withdrawal of state subsidies in health, education and social services has shifted more burdens to households and specifically to women in the context of local definitions of women's family responsibilities. A number of rural women have become domestic workers, and many urban women, their employers, in order to fulfill their family duties. Both groups of women tend to define themselves in terms of the four feminine virtues and struggle with the image of women both good at paid work and excelling at home. Negotiation and resistance occur when women get involved in domestics service as domestics and employers. The emphasis on harmonious relationships in Vietnamese culture, rooted in Confucianism, tends to obscure the actual relations of class conflict and struggle that are integral to employer-employee relationships. Although the class concept is typically not used to explain problems and conflicts, they are underlain by some class awareness and class struggle which are partially obscured because the boundary between employers and domestics is not always clear cut. I argue that domestic services in urban Hanoi need to be understood within the context of the political economy of gender and class relations under economic reforms. This dissertation contributes to the fields of gender studies, sociology, political economy, Vietnamese studies, and to the study of the restructuring of contemporary nation-states and societies under neo-liberal reforms. It hopes to provide useful information to scholars interested in Vietnam and domestic work, as well as to policy makers, planners, and activists who would like to "make" domestics more visible in a labour market through legal reforms.

This essential reference reviews recruitment and selection, training and development, performance management and union relations in a sample of multi national companies (MNCs) and local firms in Vietnam. It addresses the transfer of human resources management (HRM) systems across borders and the transformation of HRM practices in Vietnam in the context of a developing and transitional economy. The book extensively examines the attraction of younger generations to HRM systems in developing countries, the ‘brain drain’ phenomenon and the local firms potentially losing commercial competitiveness in their own country. The book also reviews the catalyst role of MCNs in the management of human resources. Covers HRM in Vietnam – an area barely covered in other books Covers two of the most important types of enterprises in Vietnam: multinational companies and state-owned enterprises Contributes to knowledge in a number of key areas including globalisation, social transformation, and diffusion of best practice by multinational corporations