A Study on Vietnamese Local Governance

Abstract

Local governance differs from local state management in that it emphasizes the interaction between government agencies and the people. The government mobilizes the participation of the people and the people are involved in the process of social development governance in the locality where they reside in both direct and indirect forms. This study addresses the participation of the people in local governance activities in the context of the political, cultural and social characteristics of Vietnam. Based on the theoretical framework developed, the author conducted a survey of 240 people and 240 leaders of commune-level government agencies in 3 localities representing the three regions of Vietnam, including: Bac Giang province (North), Quang Nam province (Central), Binh Phuoc province (South). The survey results show that people participate in local governance mainly in indirect forms, limited in the aspect of direct participation. From the results of this study, the author discusses the issue of researching policy and legal innovation in the direction of expanding people's participation rights to improve the effectiveness of local governance in Vietnam.