THE NATIONAL CONTEXT FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION
From 1941 to 1975 Vietnam's economy was war based. This struggle for national liberation was strongly
impressed by a socialist ideology and the liberated areas first in the north from the mid-fifties and then in
the south from the mid-seventies established centralized socialist state economies. This economy was frozen
by the U.S. led oil embargo which was imposed from 1975. Since 1986, the development of a private
economic sector, with private family companies, and private factories has been encouraged by the government
of Vietnam. The government continues to support the development of the State economic sector and
local cooperatives. Thus, the need of education in economic development is increasing rapidly.