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Political Legitimacy of Vietnam’s One Party-State: Challenges and Responses

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  • Carlyle A. Thayer

Abstract

This article focuses on the challenges to the authority of Vietnam’s one-party state that emerged in 2009 and state responses. Three separate challenges are discussed: opposition to bauxite mining in the Central Highlands; mass protests by the Catholic Church over land ownership issues; and revived political dissent by pro-democracy activists and bloggers. The Vietnam Communist Party bases its claims to political legitimacy on multiple sources. The bauxite mining controversy challenged the state’s claim to political legitimacy on the basis of performance. The Catholic land dispute challenged the state’s claim to legitimacy on rational-legal grounds. Revived political dissent, including the linkage of demands for democracy with concerns over environmental issues and relations with China, challenged the state’s claim to legitimacy based on nationalism. Vietnam responded in a “soft authoritarian” manner. Future challenges and state responses will be debated as Vietnam moves to convene its eleventh national party congress in 2010.

Suggested Citation

  • Carlyle A. Thayer, 2009. "Political Legitimacy of Vietnam’s One Party-State: Challenges and Responses," Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, Institute of Asian Studies, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, vol. 28(4), pages 47-70.
    • Handle: RePEc:gig:soaktu:v:28:y:2009:i:4:p:47-70
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    File URL: http://hup.sub.uni-hamburg.de/giga/jsaa/article/view/170/170
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    Cited by:

    1. Dukalskis, Alexander & Gerschewski, Johannes, 2020. "Adapting or Freezing? Ideological Reactions of Communist Regimes to a Post-Communist World," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 55(3), pages 511-532.
    2. von Haldenwang, Christian, 2016. "Measuring legitimacy: new trends, old shortcomings?," IDOS Discussion Papers 18/2016, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    3. Carlitz, Ruth D. & Povitkina, Marina, 2021. "Local interest group activity and environmental degradation in authoritarian regimes," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).

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