In February, the government finally allowed foreign journalists to visit the province. Our cadres were not very well qualified and disciplined, causing waste and misappropriation. The region sent the largest proportion of soldiers to do battle against the U.S. during the Vietnam War. And in the 1980s, demonstrations over food shortages spurred the government to institute economic reforms in the first place. While the unrest in Thai Binh might well be a special case, there is another cause for worry in Hanoi.
People can live with poverty for years without moving to overthrow a government.
It's often when they get a taste of wealth, when there are expectations that their lives will improve, that they began demanding political change. Vietnam has had nearly a decade of robust growth. Stomachs aren't empty anymore.