The Relationship Between Civic Organisations and the Vietnamese State (1999–2024): From Repressive Tolerance via Conflictual Cooperation to Confinement and Suppression

This article analyses the evolving relationship between civic organisations and the Vietnamese party-state from 1999 to 2024 using three comparable large-scale surveys conducted in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. It identifies a non-linear trajectory: relatively permissive and cooperative relations in the early 2000s, followed by “conflictual cooperation” around 2008–2010, and increasing control, supervision, and restriction by 2024. While mass organisations maintain comparatively favourable ties with the state, “NGO-like” organisations face growing constraints and shrinking operational space. Organisational type emerges as the most consistent factor shaping both relationship quality and autonomy, whereas policy fields, roles, and funding sources exert variable and context-dependent influence. Overall, the findings reflect the party-state's shifting governance challenges and its persistent priority of maintaining political control while pursuing economic development and stability, highlighting a broader, unresolved governance problem in contemporary Vietnam.