The Political Influence of Civil Society in Vietnam

Abstract

A contrast between “glass half-full” and “glass (mostly) empty” portrayals of Vietnam can be found in multiple areas of politics and society: compare the pragmatic policy-making processes described by Jandl in this volume with the persistent rent-seeking found by Vu, or the paradox of a repressive state apparatus (Thayer) with varying degrees of tolerance toward dissent in practice (Kerkvliet). The gap between enthusiasm and gloom is perhaps at its starkest in the analyses of civil society. Some Vietnamese and external observers find encouraging signs of associational growth, while others lament (or celebrate) the Communist Party’scontinuing control. Is “civil society” (xä hoi dan su) at base a cooperative force for sustainable development and poverty reduction, or a political movement aiming for system-wide change?