Grapevine

By PAUL GRAY/

BETTER RED THAN UNFED. Viet Nam's aging Communist hierarchy has sent a clear signal that major Soviet-style political reforms are out of the question. This aversion to change stems both from ideology and practicality. Hanoi, long allied with Moscow and at odds with Beijing, has been offered $2.1 billion in aid from China to cover a projected shortfall in Soviet assistance. The collateral: a commitment from Hanoi to keep glasnost from breaking out near China's southern border.

With reporting by DAVID ELLIS