East Asia: From Miracle to Crisis outlines some of the main lessons from the East Asian development experience which are most relevant to Viet Nam at this current juncture in the country’s development process. In order to be useful to Vietnamese policy- and decision-makers, the paper focuses particularly on lessons for the role of the state in contributing to successful and sustainable development, and in minimizing the likelihood of crisis and instability. While considerable attention is paid to lessons learned from the ongoing regional financial crisis, these are placed in the broader context of the many impressive achievements and positive lessons in the region over the past forty years.