A Comparison Of Rural Development Between China And Vietnam After The Reform

Since the economic reform up to now, Vietnam and China have made great progress in the development of rural area. As a result, many aspects of rural area have obviously been boosted such as rural residents’living standard, infrastructure, economy, product capacities, welfare and social services. However, there are some differences in rural development between two countries due to the differences of geography, climate, population, economic scale, the government’s policy, and the degree of reformation, resource endowment, and the country’s tendency of investment, so both countries have some differences in rural development. The aim of this study is to compare of rural development between China and Vietnam over reform period, the shortcomings that exist in rural areas of both countries will be highlighted clearly. Furthermore, this comparison also presents some aspects in developing rural area that China has made better than Vietnam while others Vietnam vice verse. Finally, some appropriate suggestion to be set up for rural development in both countries in the future.By reading relevant literature and data for Vietnam from the Household Living Standard Survey (1993-2012), for China from rural statistical yearbook (1978-2012) and World Bank (1986-2012), an index system of evaluating the rural development is constructed logically, and the average standardized values of indexes of rural development from the reform up to now of two countries are calculated by using Excel software. Through the author’s calculation, the weight of each aspect’s in rural development calculated by Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Osculation value of each country to the best point set estimated by Osculating Value method. The results show China has the overall weight of rural development higher and Osculation value nearer to the best point set than Vietnam. Finally, the authors suggests some recommendations:(1)Some suggestions for Vietnam such as identifying key, spearhead industry, encourage people and enterprises to invest in new machinery, equipment, the application of scientific achievements in the production process, management and having policies to attract the workforce come to work in local in rural areas etc.(2)Some suggestions for China in rural development such as encouraging the development of self-employment, prioritizing the distribution of resources in rural areas, promoting coordinated urban-rural development, having sanctions for environmental management, financial and technological support from industry, urban areas to agriculture, rural areas as well, and democratization in rural section etc.The results shows:(1)China has made rather better than Vietnam in some aspects of rural development including rural economy, production capacities, employment, resources endowment, and social services. On the other hand, some fields that Vietnam has made quite better than China are rural environment, social justice and welfare.(2)Based on that author finds shortcomings in China as income inequality between urban and rural area, infrastructure in villages is rather delayed behind compared to city, rural economic development imbalance between the west and the east of China, environment pollution, the limited capacity of TVEs in absorbing rural migrants, the rights of farmers has not yet been secured etc.(3)Some short comes in Vietnam as shrinking agricultural land, surplus agricultural employees, slow development of rural industry, fragmented accumulation of capital in rural households, low labor productivity, unstable prices of agricultural products and slow application of the science-technology in production.