They both have a bit in common. They’re both communist Asian states that the US went to war with during the Cold War and did not win. But the messaging regarding the two states is a lot different. DPRK is treated like the worst dictatorship ever, that kills you and your family for even thinking that the Kims are less than gods, whilst also starving. But Vietnam, they say… nothing.
Why isn’t Vietnam demonized like DPRK?
Vietnam “opened up” after the fall of the Soviet Union, Korea did not. The common consensus among the average Western “academic” was that Vietnam had abandoned Socialism and was embracing free market Capitalism.
Now, real G’s understand that a worker’s state with a free market is not wholly contradictory, as we can see in China. But to the average Capitalism fan, Vietnam’s “opening up” was seen as Capitalism’s triumph in that country through peaceful means.
The same could be said for China, of course, up until very recently - when I think those same academics are coming to the stark realization that markets and Socialism are not incompatible and that, in actuality, China is not the Western neocolony they thought it was but is instead a Socialist state that has used markets to propel itself to a preeminent world power.
They have yet to come to this same conclusion with regards to Vietnam but I believe this represents a contradictory worldview which will resolve itself in the coming years.
Also worth pointing out that Vietnam is the only country on earth with similar numbers on the board to China. Poverty reduction, satisfaction with the government, belief in their government’s mandate for all people, economic development, etc.