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“Post-war Vietnam gave priority to those hit by development”

Kolkata: Ensuring a better way of life to people affected by industrial development was part of policy in post-war Vietnam, the visiting revolutionary leader, Madame Nguyen Thi Binh, said here on Monday “I understand that India in general, and West Bengal in particular, are facing difficulties in going ahead on the road towards socio-economic development, but you have managed things better than we did in Vietnam,” she said at a press conference, dwelling on issues that confronted nations trying to shift from a predominantly agrarian system.

While in Vietnam, non-profitable agricultural land would always be the first priority, with adequate attention towards protecting the interest of those directly affected, the problem was not a “simple one”, she said. “Those 32 years of war were not easy… it devastated our country, with loss of three million lives and the economy sucked into desolation.” Though the Communist Party of Vietnam initiated ‘doi moi’ in 1986, a process of economic renewal meant to “heal the wounds of war,” the policy could not be brought to full play until 1995 when the United States lifted its financial embargo on Vietnam.

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“Post-war Vietnam gave priority to those hit by development”

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