Governance for Urban Services in Vietnam

The chapter investigates the relationship between local democracy and different forms of barriers to political and social inclusion of marginalized urban communities, particularly migrants living in slums areas in Vietnam. As a one-party regime, Vietnam had been a highly centralized state until early 1990s, with the government exerting tight control over the society. The launch of market-oriented “Doi moi” policy in 1986 has contributed to the country’s economic boom, lifting millions out of poverty, opening up the civic environment, and significantly improving the Vietnam’s public services. The government has allowed the private sector to engage in the provision of certain services, in addition to the previous state-controlled public service companies and state non-business organizations. Access to basic services like electricity, water, health and education has been much improved. However, economic growth has brought numerous significant social and political implications, particularly for the new social class of migrant workers. The government’s residence-based social policy created many barriers for marginalized groups, consisting mostly of migrants, to urban services including water and sanitation, health, education, and other socio—political rights that urban residents enjoy. The Vietnamese government has recently made significant efforts to remove the barriers, which were expected to make the accessibility of marginalized groups to urban services become easier, especially for immigrants. Nevertheless, the results are mixed and there is room for further policy improvement.