NGO-led activism under authoritarian rule of Vietnam: Between cooperation and contestation

Abstract

There is a significant lacuna in the literature on civil society activism in authoritarian contexts. This research addresses this gap by providing an innovative conceptual framework that draws upon relational approach to civil society and mainstream social movement theories. The research focuses on legitimacy, autonomy as well as formality and informality as defining characteristics of civil society activism. In the light of this framework, the paper provides an in-depth empirical account of the processes through which a local NGO in one-party ruled Vietnam orchestrates community mobilization to improve policy delivery response to the poor. This paper argues that by taking advantage of their embedded relation into the state, working within and through bureaucratic structures, manipulating available structural links, as well as strategizing around both formal and informal channels of activism, Vietnamese NGOs are seeking to carve out more room for themselves to manoeuvre in critical actions. In authoritarian contexts such as Vietnam, the NGO-led activism is unlikely to produce radical shifts in the political structure and power relations, but this is not to say that its significance is trivial.

Youth participation in environmental action in Vietnam: Learning citizenship in liminal spaces

“…Government-backed organisations are an important avenue through which people in Vietnam participate in society, and one of the ways that civil society is distinct from the way it is understood in Western democracies (Vu, 2019). Characterised by Kerkvliet (2018) as 'mobilizational corporatism', state-run organisations are used to mobilise support for policies and programmes and manage societal involvement and response.…”

What happens on the backstage? Emotion work and LGBTQ activism in a collectivist culture

“…In fact, such a strategy would be counterproductive in this context due to an authoritarian political climate, which views overtly confrontational behaviour as 'reactionary' or 'regime opposition', and a collectivist culture, which deters actions that disrupt public harmony (see Gainsborough, 2013). Negotiations conducted by NGOs and civilsociety groups offer a more effective strategy to social change (Wells-Dang, 2014;Vu, 2019). The Pride march in Vietnam, consequently, is not described as a 'protest'; rather, activists refer to it in politically neutral terms ('event' or 'celebration'), which requires permission from the state.…”

“…All except one informant shared that their parents were disapproving of their activist involvement. This can be explained by two reasons: first, in an authoritarian regime where any criticism of the state can be labelled 'reactionary' or 'regime opposition', association with activism can lead to criminalisation, damaging livelihoods, and detainment (Gainsborough, 2013;Vu, 2019). Second, Confucian values embrace conformity to the collective and respect for authority, making any acts of dissidence problematic.…”

A Research Agenda for Civil Society

“…Dr. Vu's work on the complexities of nongovernmental organization (NGO) activism in Vietnam (Vu, 2019), and her moving and thick case study of the movement to save Hanoi's trees, a key symbol of the city for its residents (Vu, 2017), is civil society research of a high order. What we see from this work and the work of other civil society scholars in Vietnam, is also occurring in other fields, in which Vietnamese scholars have begun making significant marks in their fields in the social sciences.…”