This study of local government and authority in Vietnam since the 1975 reunification asks: what local institutions and offices have authority to govern; who are the local officials and how do they get appointed; what do local governments do and what interests do they serve; and what do residents say about local officials and governing institutions?

This is the first book in English to examine local government and authority in Vietnam since the country's reunification in 1975. Beyond Hanoi addresses four questions: what local institutions and offices have authority to govern; who are the local officials and how do they get their positions; what do local governments do and whose interests do they serve; and what do residents say about local officials and governing institutions? Based on in-depth research, six chapters emphasize particular villages and districts in different parts of the country, one examines a ward in Hanoi, another focuses on Ho Chi Minh City, and one compares leaders in several provinces. To contextualize conditions today, two chapters analyse local government in Vietnams long history. The opening chapter synthesizes the findings in this book with those in other studies by researchers inside and outside Vietnam.

Preliminary pages
1. Surveying Local Government and Authority in Contemporary Vietnam by Benedict J Tria Kerkvliet
2. A Brief History of Local Government in Vietnam by David G Marr
3. Village Government in Pre-colonial and Colonial Vietnam by Martin Grossheim
4. Caught in the Middle: Local Cadres in Hai Duong Province by Pham Quang Minh
5. Winter Crop and Spring Festival: The Contestations of Local Government in a Red River Delta Commune by Truong Huyen Chi
6. Local Politics and Democracy in a Muong Ethnic Community by Tran Thi Thu Trang
7. Local Government in the Exercise of State Power: The Politics of Land Allocation in Black Thai Villages by Thomas Sikor
8. Urban Government: Ward-level Administration in Hanoi by David Koh Wee Hock
9. The Facilitators of Rural Transformation and Development: The Role of Agricultural Extension Officers in Two Districts of Long An Province by Natalie Hicks
10. Ho Chi Minh City's Post-1975 Political Elite: Continuity and Change in Background and Belief by Martin Gainsborough
11. Push, Pull and Reinforcing: The Channels of FDI Influence on