Vietnam has revived its reform agenda this year under the Communist Party's new leadership following a period of relative reversion after the National Party Congress in early 2016 and during the Trans-Pacific Partnership's deterioration. Measures to overhaul the country's underperforming, corruption-laden state-owned enterprises and weak banking system have gained momentum as the state works to maintain its commitment to high regulatory and labor standards. At the same time, the government has launched a string of corruption probes against Vietnam's ruling elites, state-owned firms and financial conglomerates that have brought down hundreds of officials so far. Staying the course with these initiatives will be no less difficult for the government today than it has been for the past 30 years, and the reforms themselves are not a panacea for the country's economic ills. Nevertheless, the Communist Party is forging ahead with the measures knowing that without them, Vietnam would never overcome...
