Speaking Out in Vietnam: Public Political Criticism in a Communist Party-Ruled Nation

Since 1990 public political criticism has evolved into a prominent feature of Vietnam's political landscape. So argues Benedict Kerkvliet in his analysis of Communist Party–ruled Vietnam. Speaking Out in Vietnam assesses the rise and diversity of these public displays of disagreement, showing that it has morphed from family whispers to large-scale use of electronic media.

In discussing how such criticism has become widespread over the last three decades, Kerkvliet focuses on four clusters o...