Vietnam

In four decades Vietnam has moved from ration cards to record exports, from war to partnership with its former enemy, and from one of the poorest countries in the world to the threshold of upper-middle income. Its economy grew by 8 per cent in 2025, its exports exceeded US$475 billion, and global manufacturers now treat it as the leading alternative to China. Yet the same Communist Party that unleashed the market still controls land, banks and the courts, and the country faces an ageing population, a sinking Mekong Delta, corruption and the turbulence of American tariffs.

Vietnam: Power, Markets and Ethics explains how this happened and what comes next. Combining rigorous economic analysis with the lives of five Vietnamese, a factory worker, a phở shop owner, a microelectronics student, a durian farmer and a technology founder, Dr. Gil Feiler examines:

how memory of war shapes society and the economy, and how former enemies became partners; the decisions, institutions and incentives behind Vietnams growth, and what other countries can learn; the family as bank, school board and pension fund; street-level enterprise, the tax revolution of 2026 and the rise of private champions; womens role in work, business and politics; who has gained and who has been left behind, from land conflicts to air pollution; how the Party-state works after the 14th Congress, and the costs and limits of the anti-corruption campaign; Vietnams balancing act between the United States and China; food, language, faith, humour and the culture behind the economy; the next decade: semiconductors, high-speed rail, scenarios and recommendations.

Every figure is sourced from official statistics, international institutions and primary documents current to October 2026. Every story is human. Written for investors, policymakers, students and anyone who wants to understand one of the most remarkable development stories of our time, this book is the companion volume to the authors study of Thailand.