Civil Society Organizations in Vietnam: Precarious but Full of Potential

Memo #211

By William Taylor – wtaylor [at] asiafound.org

The rapid expansion of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Vietnam in the early 2000s was intertwined with the country’s opening and reform process. A decade on, CSOs number around 2,000 but few have been able to establish a sustainable funding base, strong financial and organizational systems and innovative research and programming.

The nature of civil society in Vietnam is muddled by complex regulations and quasi-governmental organizations claiming to be, and sometimes behaving like, independent CSOs. The Asia Foundation’s recent survey of CSOs in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City excluded officially-sponsored mass and professional organizations, and focused on gathering data on Vietnam’s centres, institutes and community based organizations.

With some exceptions, the survey demonstrated the precarious existence of CSOs in Vietnam. They are, in the main, relatively young organizations struggling to mature in a challenging environment. CSOs complained of restrictive regulations and limited understanding of their work by officials and the public, and the lack of predictable funding was a dominant concern. Only 10% had an annual budget of over $300,000. More than half operated on under $50,000 and almost 10% stated that they hadn’t bothered to make an annual plan because they felt closure was imminent.

Sustainable funding is a chicken and egg issue, both cause and effect. Financial insecurity leads to a limited ability to plan strategically and develop new program areas and approaches. Organizations can become overly responsive to donor demands. Talented individuals gain experience but then transition to business or international organizations. However, donors—whether domestic or foreign, individual or institutional—are reluctant to commit funding until CSOs demonstrate a track record, improve transparency and develop new and innovative approaches.

In spite of this challenging context, CSOs are emerging that are able to maintain committed staff, fundraise and carry out innovative programs. However, their number remains small and much remains to be done to support civil society development and a more enabling regulatory environment. But by building on the experience of successful CSOs in collaborating and connecting to other stakeholders in society, there is potential for CSOs to have a real impact on Vietnam’s development.

About the Author:

William Taylor  is currently the Deputy Country Representative of The Asia Foundation in Vietnam. He formerly worked for the UK Department for International Development and Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Front cover of Asia Foundation Survey

Links:

•  Asia Foundation Civil Society Survey: http://www.asiafoundation.org/publications/pdf/1144

• Asia Foundation publications for Vietnam: http://www.asiafoundation.org/publications/index.php?q=&searchType=country&country=20

• Jorg Wischermann study of civil society action and governance: http://hup.sub.uni-hamburg.de/giga/jsaa/article/view/260/260

•  Civicus study of civil society in Vietnam: http://www.civicus.org/new/media/CSI_Vietnam_report%20.pdf

Related Memos:

• See our other memos on Vietnam