So the recent trials represent not so much routine corruption cases as a loss of innocence. Of course, corruption is not exactly a revelation for ordinary Vietnamese used to paying off virtually every civil servant they encounter. The country's labyrinthine bureaucracy, low official salaries and the broad discretionary powers of low-ranking bureaucrats provide many opportunities for minor graft. Anything that requires a license means a pay-off. The doi moi market reforms introduced in 1986 also multiplied the opportunities for bribery.
Expatriates are prime targets for shakedowns.
The leadership, divided on where to take reforms, understands that corruption can undermine the progress made so far. And yet the authorities have fallen back on predictable, short-term remedies, such as ideological vetting of cadres and more spiritually enriching stories in the official media. The event took place in 1949. Nearly 50 years on, more heads may be ready to roll. But the war on bribery will not be easy, not with graft-busters themselves apparently on the take.