AbstractsSociology

Climate change is currently challenging Vietnam, being one of the countries most vulnerable to climate changes. The changes already have profound implication for some of the most exposed groups in the country. Civil society is one of the prominent actors advocating for climate change and the people affected. However, Vietnam is an authoritarian state and civil society in Vietnam thus work under an authoritarian state, which is a rather new phenomenon. The objective for this project has been to investigate what role civil society has in Vietnam within climate change, and further what their ability to influence is within this field. The findings are based on a case study, consisting of ten interviews conducted in Vietnam. From my observations during the interviews, I have found four main areas wherein civil society makes advocacy on climate change. These include capacity building, implementation, workshops and networks. Based on these strategies I have examined the potentials and limits for civil society to influence decision-making. It proved to show that there exists cooperation between civil society and state in Vietnam. This cooperation depends on a good relationship, which is argued to limit civil society’s ability to contradict the state. It is further found that civil society provides service to the state, through the implementation of state policies and projects.