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This actually presents a paradox in Vietnam. Since most activities are legal except political ones, the typical Vietnamese on the street is not vehemently opposed to the government.

So all it really takes is for the current government to realize that if there is democratic change, the end result will most likely be, of all things, the status quo.

Then all they will have to do is split the current government in half, with very similar platforms, and the powerful remain in power, the public is contented, the radicals of all types are still annoyed, change is incremental and pleasantly slow, and the business of Vietnam returns to being business. Everybody wins.

A similar situation existed in Saudi Arabia. They were terrified of the radical nature of democracy until they tried just a little of it at a low level. The public shocked the government by voting for what the government wanted, the status quo, in a dull election. If anything, the public were a tad more conservative than the government. The end result was that the government was thrilled, and have a new confidence that their next baby step towards democracy won't cause chaos, arson and riots in the streets.

So if Vietnam allows just an experiment, at a low level, they too might be pleasantly surprised.

In China, however, even though the concept of voting has spread everywhere, the government is so caught up in the fear that they may not be able to learn the easy way.

You almost sound like you have been there. If VN announced free elections for a parliament and president to take place in 6 months, yes, the current crowd would probably mostly still be in power but they would be in a new situation and would find that they would have to be responsive to the voters rather than the committees. If democracy is accompanied by extensive market rationalization and reform the corruption will subside drastically. Market reform and ending government interference in the market is the key. Divesting the banks, if it is real and not just for show, is a major first step.