Is Vietnam democratic country or communist dictatorship?

Question

i have vietnamese friend who claims it s democracy but i have doubts about it because of the role of communist governtment there.

Answer 1

There is no necessary contradiction between communism and democracy. Communist governments can be democratically elected and hold democratic elections. In fact, it was the communist's likely victory in an election which was one of the triggers of the Vietnam War. The South Vietnamese government refused to hold elections (which were intended to unite the country) because of the popular support for the nothern communists.

As for whether Vietnam is a democracy, that will depend on what you mean by "democracy." They hold elections for executive and legislative officials, what would seem to be the minimum requirement for a democracy. On the other hand, it is a one-party system, so some might be loathe to consider it very democratic.

I have spent some time in Vietnam, and from what I saw, it is a lovely country. The people are very welcoming and friendly, even upon finding out I was an American. Police presence on the streets is minimal, not at all like what Americans picture communist countries to be. The people were very happy and their economic condition is, compared with most of the other developing countries I have been to, very good.

And in case you were wondering, I was one my own, no government monitors or anything like that, and I did travel all over the country.