Local Government Decision-Making and Public Participation in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City: Do We Know What Works?

Public participation is a core component of democratic governance. The Government of Vietnam has encouraged and promoted public participation, especially at local levels to enhance the government’s transparency and accountability. Common issues that required public participation in District 8 include environmental cleaning, clearance, resettlement and compensation, construction of new public works, and development planning. This chapter reviews the degree to which local citizens are involved in local government decisions in District 8 of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The study conducted for this chapter used a questionnaire-based survey to collect data from local citizens participating in their local government decision-making processes. Data were collected from a sample of 640 local citizens across 16 wards in District 8 using a convenience sampling method. The survey also examined the perceptions of citizens about these initiatives, and the expectations of greater empowerment for citizens. The key findings indicate that citizens most desire to be involved in local government decision-making through participation from individuals, small groups, and large scale community organizations. Increased public participation was also found to benefit city planning, create an informed community consensus, and lead to committed community development.