Late PM Vo Van Kiet - the architect of Vietnam’s economic reform

After national reunification in 1975, Ho Chi Minh City faced numerous difficulties, with the local economy slipping into a period of stagnation. As the city’s leader at that time, Kiet conducted fact-finding tours to factories and set up an economic research office tasked with devising policies to guide Vietnam’s economic reforms. 

“Vo Van Kiet is a decisive person. As Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, and then Deputy Prime Minister and Prime Minister of Vietnam, he put forward initiatives to improve people’s lives. He conducted lots of fact-finding tours and made decisions based on people’s aspirations, the advice of experts, and his own knowledge and experience,” says Assoc. Prof. &. Dr. Phan Xuan Bien, vice chairman of the Vietnam Association of Historical Sciences.

With his spirit of innovation daring to think, daring to do, and taking responsibility, Kiet inspired the political leadership of Ho Chi Minh City to stimulate production and recover the economy. Assoc. Prof. & Dr. Ha Minh Hong, head of the Faculty of History of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, states although reforms faced many difficulties and challenges, Kiet managed to overcome them all, putting the nation and the people’s interests first.

“Vo Van Kiet was the one who initiated renovation plans and got the whole political system and the public to join his renovation effort. He was a decisive and prestigious leader”, says Hong.

In the early 1990s, the southern region faced a serious power shortage. Kiet in his capacity as the Vietnamese government leader, requested the construction of a North-South 500kv transmission line, connecting 14 cities and provinces. Construction began in April, 1992, and was completed two years later.

Engineer Ho Anh To, who was in charge of building the southern section of the transmission line, says Prime Minister Kiet also directed the construction of the Tri An Hydropower Plant in 1987 and a number of other power projects.

“Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet’s decision to construct the national 500kv power line helped to ensure energy security and economic growth, and created thousands of jobs. His decision greatly contributed to national development,” says To.

Engineer Nguyen Ba Man, former director of the Management Board of Hydropower Projects on the Dong Nai river, who worked for 30 years on hydropower projects in the south, says he was impressed by Prime Minister Kiet’s flexible but strong leadership style.

“The Ham Thuan-Da Mi Hydropower project produced an electricity output of about 1.7 billion kWh per year and also irrigated about 40,000 hectares of rice in Binh Thuan and neighbouring provinces,” recalls Ma. ”At that time, Vietnam started receiving Official Development Assistance (ODA) from Japan, with US$650 million allocated for this hydropower project under the direction of Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet.”

With his determination and strong spirit of renovation, the late PM had left a great imprint on Vietnam’s socio-economic development.