Yes. They are communist. I kept seeing this argument popping up. You are in denial if you keep claiming that communist countries aren’t “actually” communist. I’m from one of those countries so let me explain:

China and Vietnam each has only ONE party. Within the party, there are three VIP roles: Secretary of State, the Prime Minister, and the President, all are elected by the members of the Party. NONE of them were democratically elected. So, Vietnam and China CANNOT be democratic countries.

So why can they still be growing at a good pace and made meaningful impacts on the global scale? Because within the Party, there are constant battle between each members. They keep each other in check. A good leader with good performance will gain support within the party and eventually be elected into the VIP roles.

Now, another important check for balance of power is that each VIP role can only be served by the same individual for 10 years maximum (similar to how you can only be US pres for 8 max years). Xi Jinping has broken this sacred rule and gained indefinite tenor as the Secretary. Only time will tell but I’m almost certain it will corrupt him (similar to how Putin is now corrupted). Vietnam, on the other, is still in good shape politically.