Why LGBT Rights Trump Environmentalism in Vietnam
Since its adoption of a market economy in the last 1980s, Vietnam has become what some have referred to as a new “Asian Tiger.” Over the last 25 years, Vietnam’s economy has enjoyed an average annual growth rate of more than 6 percent. Between 1994 and 2014, 40 million people were lifted out of poverty, lowering the poverty rate from nearly 60 percent to 14 percent. These results have allowed the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) to enjoy significant domestic legitimacy.
