In 2005 – 2006, UNDP and SNV funded VIDS and CECODES to conduct the project “The Emerging Civil Society – An Initial Assessment of Civil Society in Vietnam”. The study was based o­n the methodology outlined by CIVICUS, an international alliance of NGOs based in South Africa, which has framed a global project to assess civil society in more than 50 countries. The methodology for the project is based o­n a framework of 74 indicators, divided into four dimensions of civil society: structure, environment, values and impact. The study was groundbreaking as it was the first comprehensive study o­n civil society in Vietnam and even until now serves as an authoritative source o­n civil society and its engegament with the state in Vietnam.

In 2006 – 2007 CECODES carried out the project “Community-driven Regulation: Tool for Environmental Conflict Resolution Focusing o­n Landfills in Vietnam”, supported by SAREC and MOST. The main purpose of the project was to find situations causing conflicts and generating opposition to landfills; identify satisfactory and unsatisfactory aspects in state policies and solutions of enterprises dealing with landfill management; propose solutions to ease opposition of residents and improve existing policies to ensure public health and to create favorable conditions for industrialization and urbanization. The project conducted householdes survey, interviewing officials, and organizing discussions among residential groups. The project has developed some effective tools for conflict resolutions which have been applied in a number of landfills.

In 2007 – 2008 CECODES conducted the project “Empowering Civil Society Organisations for Conflict Resolution in Rural Areas in the Urbanization Process”, funded by the Embassy of Finland in Hanoi. The project investigates the lack of policies encouraging the participation of the local CSOs as an important cause for the severity of conflicts in land use and environment in Viet Nam today. Project sites are in Hanoi; Hung Yen; Thai Binh; Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. The project’s overall purpose is to strengthen the capacity and to propose solutions to mobilize the CSOs to resolve conflicts in the process of urbanization and industrialization, as well as to contribute to the improvement of state policies / governance in land use and environmental protection in compliance with sustainable development objectives.