page_title: History of the Communist Party of Vietnam
section_title: 7th Congress (1991–1996)
hierarchical_section_title: History of the Communist Party of Vietnam / Ruling party (1976–present) / 7th Congress (1991–1996)
caption_attribution_description: Two flags—the flag of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and the national Flag of Vietnam—flying side by side. Taken in Da Nang, Vietnam.
context_section_description: At the 7th Party Congress, Nguyễn Văn Linh retired from active politics. He reaffirmed Vietnam's commitment to socialism. Đỗ Mười, a conservative, succeeded Nguyễn Văn Linh as General Secretary, Võ Văn Kiệt, the leading communist reformer, was appointed prime minister and Lê Đức Anh, a conservative communist, was appointed president.
  In the aftermath of the 7th Party Congress, the conservatives tried to retake control of the Party. In 1994, four new members were appointed to the 7th Politburo, all of whom opposed more radical reform. Despite conservative maneuvering, the reform proved highly successful and economic growth between the 7th and 8th Party Congress averaged 8 percent. While the growth figures were impressive, sustaining growth run required ongoing reforms – however, such reforms, it was believed, would lead to instability and maybe even threaten the Communist Party's hold on power. The conservatives opposed change for that reason, while the reformers held that change was the only way to develop the economy. The Asian financial crisis of the late-1990s shrank growth to 2 percent annually.
caption: Two flags—the flag of the Communist Party and the national flag of Vietnam—flying side by side.
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