“The outcome of the Vietnam War had only negative economic and political effects on Vietnam.” Discuss.

Candidates are required to offer a considered and balanced review of the political and economic effects of the outcome of the Vietnam War, focusing entirely on the period after the war ended. A review of political effects may include the reunification of Vietnam under national leadership for the first time since 1861, and the enforcement of Soviet-style communism in the South through security measures such as identity cards and the identification and punishment of collaborators. The teaching profession was purged, textbooks seized and a Marxist–Leninist curriculum introduced. Vietnam became a more significant power in the region as shown by their defeat of China in 1979. A review of economic policies may focus on the attack on the economically productive Chinese community and the creation of a national centrally-planned economy supported by Soviet subsidies, which failed to prevent famines and falling living standards.