Skateboarders, traceurs and changes in urban space and social practices in Hanoi
Memo #385 By: Stephanie Geertman – geertman.stephanie [at] gmail.com What can skateboarders and traceurs in Vietnam tell us about new forms of social practice? Skateboarders riding along the base of a statue of Vladimir Lenin in a public park and traceurs climbing and jumping over walls in the newest middle-class communities flanking the city have become […]
Hedging without coordination? The Cambodian Government’s Policies Toward Vietnam
Memo #369 By: Thearith Leng – thearithleng2011 [at] gmail.com Hedging, a mix of bandwagoning (political deference) and balancing (varying forms of defiance), has become a popular concept to explain how small Southeast Asian states manage their relations with larger countries. Cambodia’s policies toward its more powerful neighbor, Vietnam, display such a mixed approach. But in […]
Civil Society Organizations in Vietnam: Precarious but Full of Potential
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.
Cooperative Management of Mekong River is Crucial for 70 Million People
Memo #32 – Cooperation is crucial to manage rivers that flow across national borders. States along the Mekong River – and their 70 million inhabitants – depend on the cooperation of their upstream neighbour, China.