Editing Politics of Vietnam (section)

==State ideology==
{{See also|Vietnamese nationalism|Communism in Vietnam|Socialism in Vietnam|Ho Chi Minh Thought}}
[[File:HanoiPropagandaPoster.JPG|thumb|The Communist Party's poster in [[Hanoi]]]]
Vietnam is a [[socialist republic]] with a one-party system led by the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). The CPV espouses [[Marxism–Leninism]] and [[Ho Chi Minh Thought|Hồ Chí Minh Thought]], the political philosophy and ideology of the late Hồ Chí Minh. The two ideologies function as a firm ideological basis and serve as guidance for the activities of the Party and state.<ref name="Politicalsystem">{{cite web | title = Political system | publisher = [[Government of Vietnam|Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam]] | access-date =20 April 2012 | url = http://www.chinhphu.vn/portal/page/portal/English/TheSocialistRepublicOfVietnam/AboutVietnam/AboutVietnamDetail?categoryId=10000103&articleId=10001578 }}</ref> According to the Constitution, Vietnam is "in the period of transition to socialism".<ref name="preambleoftheconstitution"/> Marxism–Leninism was introduced to Vietnam in the 1920s and 1930s, and [[Culture of Vietnam|Vietnamese culture]] has been led under the banner of [[patriotism]] and Marxism–Leninism.<ref>{{cite web | title = Vietnam culture overview | publisher = [[Government of Vietnam|Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam]] | access-date =16 April 2012 | url = http://www.chinhphu.vn/portal/page/portal/English/TheSocialistRepublicOfVietnam/AboutVietnam/AboutVietnamDetail?categoryId=10000103&articleId=10000475 }}</ref> Hồ Chí Minh's beliefs were not systematised during his life, nor quickly following his death. [[Trường Chinh]]'s biography of "Chairman Hồ" in 1973 emphasised his revolutionary policies. The thoughts of Hồ Chí Minh were systematised in 1989, under the leadership of [[Nguyễn Văn Linh]].{{sfn|Quinn-Judge|2002|p=2}} Hồ Chí Minh Thought, alongside Marxism–Leninism, became the official ideology of the CPV and the state in 1991.{{sfn|Gillespie|2006|p=90}} The CPV's claim to legitimacy was retained following the [[collapse of communism]] in 1989 and the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] in 1991 by its commitment to the thoughts of Hồ Chí Minh, according to Sophie Quinn-Judge.{{sfn|Quinn-Judge|2002|p=256}} According to Pierre Brocheux, the author of ''Ho Chi Minh: a Biography'', the current state ideology is Hồ Chí Minh Thought, with Marxism–Leninism playing a secondary role.{{sfn|Brocheux|2007|p=186}} While some claim that Hồ Chí Minh Thought is used as a veil for the Party leadership since they, according to this version, have stopped believing in [[communism]], others claim this is not true considering that Hồ Chí Minh was an avid supporter of the [[dictatorship of the proletariat]]. Others see Hồ Chí Minh Thought as a political umbrella term whose main function is to smuggle in non-socialist ideas and policies without challenging socialist legality.{{sfn|Gillespie|2006|p=90}}

Since its foundation, the key ideology has been Marxism–Leninism, but since the introduction of a [[mixed economy]] in the late 1980s and 1990s, it has lost its monopolistic ideological and moral legitimacy.{{sfn|Gillespie|2006|p=91}} As became clear because of the [[Đổi Mới]] reforms, the Party could not base its rule on defending only the workers and the peasants, which was officially referred to as the "working class-peasant alliance".{{sfn|Gillespie|2006|p=92}} In the constitution introduced in 1992, the State represented the "workers, peasants and intellectuals".{{sfn|Gillespie|2006|p=91}} In recent years, the Party has stopped representing a specific class, but instead the "interests of the entire people", which includes entrepreneurs.{{sfn|Gillespie|2006|p=91}} The final class barrier was removed in 2002, when party members were allowed to engage in private activities. In the face of de-emphasising the role of Marxism–Leninism, the Party has acquired a broader ideology, placing more emphasis on [[nationalism]], [[developmentalism]], and becoming the protector of tradition.{{sfn|Gillespie|2006|pp=91–92}}