ABSTRACT
Raising the question of the manifestation of civil society in Asian cities, this chapter analyses the link between governing institutions and practices of public participation, by exploring collective action against widespread tree felling in Hanoi, Vietnam. More Vietnamese citizens are actively expressing their voices on policies, with many forming strategic networks or groups which have tried to dissolve the boundaries demarcated by the government. However, space for civil society remains ambiguous, especially since the state exerts strong control over the development and engagements of civil society. By connecting conceptual and empirical explorations, this chapter examines what the Hanoi tree movement means and how the concept of public participation is exercised or negotiated in Vietnam’s socio-political institutions, exploring the relationships between public participation, civil society, and governing institutions. Of particular interest is the strategies civil society in Hanoi have used to not only survive the impositions of the powerful Vietnamese state, but also politicise their organisations, whether this be by deliberately positioning themselves as part of the state apparatus, or through the use of social media to subvert the state.
