🇻🇳 Understanding Democratic Centralism in Vietnam

Video by Luna Oi! | Part 1: The Dialectical Foundation of Vietnam’s Political System

🎯 Purpose of the Video

This video explains democratic centralism—a core principle of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the nation’s political system—by grounding it in the Marxist-Leninist philosophy of dialectical materialism. It offers a philosophical, cultural, and historical lens through which to understand how Vietnam blends democracy and centralism into a dynamic political model.

🧠 Section 1: Dialectical Materialism – The Philosophical Foundation

Key Concepts:

Dialectical materialism is a Marxist framework that sees everything (ideas, systems, and people) as interconnected and constantly changing.
Change and development are driven by internal and external relationships.
Applied to politics, this means democracy and centralism are not opposites but mutually influential.

“I change you, you also change me.”

This dialectical view underpins how Vietnamese democracy and centralism co-evolve rather than conflict.

🗳️ Section 2: Defining Democracy

Vietnamese and Global Perspectives:

In Vietnam: “Dân chủ” = “people ownership”
Popular Vietnamese definition: Democracy = social equity
In the West: Democracy often equated with freedom of speech, media, markets, and religion