Civil society organisations' roles in health development in Vietnam: HIV as a case study

Abstract

Civil society in contemporary Vietnam has been recognised as an important force in public health. Based on qualitative interviews and observations of 30 organisations and networks in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, this paper argues that civil society organisations (CSOs) focus almost exclusively on providing information and services, including care and treatment, in line with a state-sanctioned ‘implementer’ role for civil society, and that these organisations therefore miss an opportunity to act as agents for change. It was observed that the CSOs taking on roles involving advocacy and the monitoring of policy implementation were those that focus exclusively on HIV/AIDS prevention and control. However, the sustainability of these efforts is unclear.

Keywords:

• civil society
• policy advocacy
• watchdog
• HIV
• Vietnam

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my colleagues at the Partnership of Action for Health Equity for encouraging me to undertake this research, Ms Nguyen Thi Thanh Trung for her effective support during data collection and the Rockefeller Foundation and the Hanoi Medical University for financial support. My deep gratitude goes to the reviewers and Dr Jennifer S. Hirsch, whose comments helped me reshape my paper. Finally I would also like to thank Ms Emily Vasquez, who provided great help in editing the paper.