Déjà-vu in Saigon
What do China, Vietnam, Laos and Cuba have in common? Well, nominally, they are the last remaining Marxist-Leninist states. If that sounds, oh so last century, it is. Vietnam has since come a long way: Saigon is bustling, prosperous, easy going. You don’t sense that communist dogma is affecting everyday life. But don’t be fooled: 2015 is an auspicious year for Vietnam’s communist rulers: decorations up in Saigon mark it as the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Army and, incidentally, the 140th anniversary of the country’s largest and now state-owned Saigon Brewery. The government has ambitious plans to privatize as many as 400 state enterprises. The question is: will it sell down its controlling stake in the brewery too?
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