QUORA

Huijian Wu · 

CTO (2005–present)4y

Both Vietnam and China were similarly poor in 1980’s. How did China improve so much faster than Vietnam, as of 2020? Why is the gap between Vietnam and China even widening

1. In 1980, China was poor but had been building for 30 years, from 1950-1980, while Vietnam was at war all this time.

2. During the period 1980-1990, China opened up to the outside world, trading with the West and attracting Western investment. And at this time, Vietnam was occupying Cambodia, fighting a border war with China and being sanctioned by the West.

3. In the period 1990-2000, China entered a phase of rapid development and Vietnam had just ended the war and was struggling to seek Western recognition.

These are the facts, and the facts are not complicated

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