The first book in English to examine local government and authority in Vietnam since the country's reunification in 1975, this volume includes a daring criticism of Party rule at the local level. It 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 opening chapter synthesizes the findings in this book with those in other studies by researchers inside and outside Vietnam.