ABSTRACT
The current debate on the development of civil society in Vietnam indicates that a large and growing number of community-based organizations (CBOs) exist in the country. By analysing the recent trajectories of CBO development in a rural area of Can Tho City in the Mekong Delta, this chapter examines the idea of an emerging civil society independent of the state. In northern Vietnam, voluntary associations tend to be kinship-based and rooted in traditional institutions. The progressive formalization and concomitant attempts to guide CBOs is considered a strategic step by the party-state to maintain control over civil society development in rural areas. The profiles of, and trends in, water user and micro-credit groups in Can Tho City attest to the growing institutional diversity and emergence of CBOs, particularly in the Mekong Delta. In Can Tho City, the Women’s Union is generally involved in environmental protection, the development of water and sanitation facilities of rural households, and water treatment education.
