Assessing the Practice of Vietnamese Local Governance

Local governance is a form of state management, but emphasizes the interaction between the government and the people in the management and operation of local activities; meanwhile, state management in general emphasizes the legal regulations and administrative measures of government agencies. This study addresses the role of people's participation in local governance in Vietnam on the basis of legal regulations and practical implementation of social development management activities of local governments. The author builds a theoretical framework and conducts a survey of 600 people from 3 localities representing 3 regions of Vietnam, including: Yen Bai province (North), Quang Tri province (Central), Bac Lieu province (South). The survey results show that people are involved in local governance at the commune level within the scope of the law, but mainly in the form of indirect participation. From the results of this study, the author discusses the policy content of expanding people's direct participation rights, contributing to improving the effectiveness of local governance in Vietnam.