Democratic Party of Vietnam

The Democratic Party of Vietnam (Vietnamese: Đảng Dân chủ Việt Nam) was a political party in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (later only North Vietnam). It was founded on 30 July 1944 to unite the petite bourgeoisie and intelligentsia in support of the Viet Minh, and in effect, its bloc party. It was a member of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front and was represented in the Vietnamese parliament and government, led by Dương Đức Hiền and Nghiêm Xuân Yêm. The party, along with the Socialist Party, was disbanded in 1988.

In 2006, a dissident organization with the same name was established. Hoàng Minh Chính, a member of the former Democratic Party, was involved in its founding.^[1]

This party was established in 1944, when Vietnam was still occupied by France. In 1945, it gained independence as Democratic Republic of Vietnam. It was a member of Vietnamese Fatherland Front and fought against France in a war for independence. During 1955–1988, it was one of only three parties that were allowed to operate in North Vietnam, and later the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It was dissolved in 1988.

The ideologies of the party initially included social democracy and Vietnamese nationalism, but in 1954 these were replaced with socialism and Marxism–Leninism. Its position ranged from centre-left to far-left.

• Länder der Erde. Politisch-ökonomisches Handbuch. Berlin [Ost], 1971.