Sentiment has grown to drop the word 'communist' and for the party to revert to its former name, the Vietnam Labour Party - which was used by the nation's founding father Ho Chi Minh - or to change to a new name like the People's Party of Vietnam.

The current name is viewed as an anachronism and detrimental to Vietnam's international image.

Said Professor Edmund Malesky, a Vietnam expert at the University of California: 'Many people in the United States and other countries have a visceral reaction to the term 'communist', so Vietnam would be well served by dissociating itself from that particular brand name.'

The party has already debated the issue privately. In the coming legislative session, it will float the idea publicly to gauge reaction among party cadres and civilians.

Said Mr David Koh, a Vietnam analyst at Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies: 'I believe that changing the name is already in the thinking of some leaders. But as with most Vietnamese political ideas, all the stars will have to be aligned for it to happen quickly.'

Indeed, no one expects it to occur soon, but a start is now likely to be made on the process.

And it is not hard to understand why.

Many younger party members regard the 'communist' tag as laughably outdated, given that Vietnam has embraced capitalism over the past decade - and has thrived mightily by doing so.

Said Mr Koh: 'Dropping the communist label is likely to come if the party formally acknowledges that its mission is no longer communism or class struggle. And, to a large extent, this has been tacitly admitted.'

Indeed, the party has already moderated its socialist ideology, so that class struggle is no longer a primary objective and everyone, including party members, can take part in business and become rich.

As well, many younger Vietnamese who want to get on the gravy train, especially those who seek expert training overseas, find that being labelled a communist does not help them.

Said Professor Malesky: 'I know that a lot of professional Vietnamese are wary of the term 'communist' on their resumes when they apply for international fellowships or positions with international companies.'

Others also argue that Vietnam's desire to integrate more with the global community is not helped by being grouped with communist states like North Korea and Cuba, which have been called 'outposts of tyranny' by the US.

Said Prof Malesky: 'It is probably not a coincidence that the issue is being raised as Vietnam prepares to take the Asian seat on the UN Security Council and has a strong interest in building relations with a wide-ranging group of countries.'

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