As a result of unification, the central committee expanded from 77 to 133 members, the 11-member Polit Bureau of the Central Committee grew to 17, including 3 alternate or candidate members, and the secretariat of the central committee increased from 7 to 9. More than half of the members of the central committee were were first time appointee, many of whom came from the southern provinces.
Membership in the Party doubled from 760,000 in 1966 to 1,553,500 in 1976, representing 3.1 % of the total population.The comparable figures for China 4.2 %, Soviet Union (6.9)in 1986.
Fifth National Party Congress
While the March 1982 CoNguyen Van Linh, future party general secretary who later returned to th to the Polit Bureau in June 1985.
Sixth National Party Congress
Held in Dec 1986, there was much self criticismover the party's failure to improve the economy, and a balance was sought between the positions of radicals, who urged a quicker transition to socialism through collectivization, and moderates, who urged increased reliance on free market forces.
three senior leaders retired, but took up undefined advisory roles :
1. VCP General Secretary and President Truong Chinh
2. second ranked political Bureau member and Premier Pham Van Dong
3. Party theoritician and fourth ranked polit Bureau mamber (without Govt. portfolio) Le Duc Tho, aged seventy five.
Foreign Affairs
Vietnam and the US established diplomatic ties on July 12, 1995 and first exchanged ambassadors in 1997.
