They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

The current issue of The Economist delivers a special report on Vietnam, detailing the country's transformation from an agrarian society to an industrial one. Chugging along with annual GDP growth rates exceeding 8%, Vietnam is going from "rags to riches," as the article points out. But with this, the country is faced with the stark reality of economic inequality and crippling price inflation, which exceeded 20% for the first four months of 2008.

Vietnam's economy is posting growth rates second only to China in the Asian region. Yet, it is still very much a third world country, and I still find myself making comparisons to the motherland and saying things like, "in New York we have this" or "this is how companies do it in the West." I realize that this is a character flaw on my part, and if one reads the fine print, the scorecard will tell them that 'Nam is the winning pony. But sometimes Big Brother's tight hold on the reins makes the writing on the wall incredibly blurry.

The Economist article is a great case in point. It appears to me that my print edition of the issue is not only missing a few pages but has also been given a fresh coat of paint. As shocked as I am thrilled to be subjected to censorship, I wonder what Vietnam-based readers are  not supposed to know? 

What's most unfortunate though is that the censor board is doing more harm than it is good. Most readers of the article have commented it is an incredibly positive piece, especially coming from a publication whose MO is to rip apart unprecedented economic booms, nonetheless communist regimes. Yes, the omitted portion suggested that democratic systems be instituted to help regulate Vietnam's explosive economy, which in my humble opinion is accurate. But the men upstairs don't look lightly upon criticism, particularly when it entails political reforms. So the handful of expat readers,who actually shelled out $8 bucks to buy the rag, are forced to get the goods online, which is what we should have done anyway considering the price tag.