Since the mid-1970s, Vietnam experienced a period of transition to socialism, before bringing in economic reforms which led to the gradual dismantling of the subsidised system of planning and the opening up of the country to the global capitalist economy. Economic reform and renovation has important implications for the urban areas of Vietnam. The emergence of markets and the abandonment of many restrictions on travel resulted in a freeing up of the urbanisation process during the 1980s and early 1990s. These processes are considered, and the implications for Vietnam's largest urban area, Ho Chi Minh City, are examined. The likely impact of Vietnam's long-term socioeconomic strategy on the urban network in the remainder of the decade is considered.
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