It is said even government jobs and university degrees are available for 'sale'. About 20,000 state employees have been jailed or hauled up for corruption since the 1980’s.

Lack of transparency in the decision-making process, administrative rules, regulations and procedures that frequently change without notice or reason, insufficient coordination between offices, close formal and informal ties with politicians and patronage systems have hit the economy.

These problems boost corruption. According to the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2008-2009, companies operating in Vietnam cite corruption as one of the biggest problems while conducting business in the country.

Image: Police officers accused of corruption await the verdict in a court. | Photograph: Kham/Reuters.

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