It was the seriousness of the economic crisis of 1979 which compelled bold responses from the Vietnamese leadership. But the new economic policies recommended at the Party Central Committee's Sixth Plenum (Fourth Party Congress) — intended to save the situation — were not immediately implemented. And it took further deterioration of already desperate conditions, even bringing about food riots and peasant unrest in late 1980, to evoke concerted efforts to liberalize the economy and thus prevent a disastrous breakdown.

Political Bureau member, Le Due Tho, in a speech in April 1980 had already made this complaint:

Another Vietnamese, an agricultural expert, Chau Tarn Luan was more explicit in his assessment of the “difficulties” of translating the new economic policies into practice:

The 1975 line for agriculture (that is, collectivization) was not very correct. The campaign to correct (that line) launched at end of last year (1979) has opened up new avenues, but conservative elements have hastened to close them again, and right now I don't see now things can change.

The reference to “conservative elements” indicates the strong disagreement of some Party leaders and cadres to the liberal reforms introduced at the Sixth Plenum — providing further evidence of continuing debates among decision-makers on the most appropriate measures to resolve the country's economic problems.

Opposition certainly delayed the introduction of the new economic policies throughout Vietnam. Those who argued against the use of economic levers and material incentives to bring about increase in productivity warned against the promotion of “individualism and excessive attention to personal interests”.