The countermeasure of Vietnamese feudal state against village bully and some lessons learned

Abstract

Historical documents show that during the feudalism in Vietnam, the domination of the village bully resulted in increasingly serious consequences on farmers and society in many aspects. Facing that situation, the feudal state introduced solutions to prevent and deal with this evil such as: improving the efficiency of the communal government apparatus; strengthening the control of land, taxes and population in the villages; stipulating clear legal proceedings to prevent village bully; amending the rituals to limit the interception of the state staff or officials; and imposing strict sanctions to deal with village bully. On the basis of comparing the similarities and differences between the feudal tyranny and the "new bully" in Vietnam today, the article points out the lessons learned in organization and management of villages which contribute to the fight against corruption at the regional level in particular and corruption in general in our country.