Vietnam’s Communists Join Musk, Milei in Slashing Government

  • Biggest overhaul in decades seeks to reduce bureaucracy by 20%
  • Downsizing aims to boost economy and free up development cash
To LamPhotographer: Nhac Nguyen/AFP/Getty Images
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As Elon Musk and Argentina’s Javier Milei champion ambitious plans to dramatically slash the size of government, a similar effort is getting underway across the globe from political leaders with a completely different ideology: Vietnam’s Communist Party.

In what amounts to the biggest overhaul of the state since adopting pro-market reforms in the 1980s, Vietnamese officials are targeting a roughly 20% reduction in the size of ministries, government agencies, and civil service workforce. It’s being pitched as essential medicine to remedy a bloated bureaucracy, reduce red-tape and cut unnecessary costs from local governments on up.