Vietnam Corruption Barometer 2019 Vietnamese Citizens’ Views and Experiences of Corruption
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VIETNAM CORRUPTION BAROMETER 2019 Vietnamese Citizens’ VIEWS AND EXPERIENCES OF CORRUPTION (for reference) Towards Transparency (TT) is a Vietnamese non-profit consultancy company founded in 2008 to contribute to the prevention of and fight against corruption. In March 2009, TT became the official national contact of Transparency International. TT’s vision is a Vietnam free of corruption where people enjoy social justice, accountability and transparency in all aspects of life. TT’s mission is to reduce corruption in Vietnam by increasing demand and promoting measures for transparency, accountability and integrity in government, business, and civil society at large. towardstransparency.vn The report was made possible thanks to the support from the Embassy of Denmark and the Embassy of Belgium in Vietnam. The views and interpretations expressed in this report are the authors' alone and are not necessarily the views of the contributors. Authors: Dr. Le Quang Canh, Christian Levon, Nguyen Thi Kieu Vien Data Collection and Field Survey: Indochina Research (Vietnam) Ltd. Design: Sophie Everett (sophieeverett.com.au) Acknowledgements: We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the research and preparation of this report, in particular expert reviewers, Conrad Zellmann, Xavier Depouilly, Dr. Vu Cong Giao, Elizabeth Tronsor and Alexander Gordillo; genders experts, Ms. Khuat Thu Hong, Ms. Ngo Thi Thu Ha; and our colleagues at Towards Transparency. Every effort was made to verify the accuracy of information contained in this report as of 15 December. Nevertheless, the authors cannot accept responsibility for the consequences of the report’s use for other purposes or in other contexts. Cover photo: Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash Photos: istockphoto.com (Aurore Kervoern, gnomeandi, David_Bokuchava, Natnan Srisuwan, FabVietnam_Photography, sankai) ISBN: 978-604-86-9916-1 © 2019 Towards Transparency. All rights reserved. VIETNAM CORRUPTION BAROMETER 2019 Vietnamese Citizens’ VIEWS AND EXPERIENCES OF CORRUPTION TABLE OF CONTENTS 03 05 10 12 Figures Executive Summary Background How Citizens Perceive Corruption? 18 22 28 30 How Citizens Perceive How Citizens Sextortion Reporting Vietnam’s Anti- Experience Corruption Corruption Corruption Efforts? in the Public Sector? 34 38 39 40 Ordinary People Additional Conclusions Methodology Fighting Corruption Citizens’ Insights 42 63 64 Annexes References End Notes FIGURES 12 Figure 1: Most Important Problems that the Vietnamese Government Should Address 13 Figure 2: The Seriousness of Corruption Within the Public and Private Sectors 14 Figure 3: How Corruption Has Evolved Geographically Over the Past 12 months 15 Figure 4: Perception of Corruption Among Institutions and Groups (2013-2019) 16 Figure 5: Victims and Perpetrators of Corruption 17 Figure 6: Frequency of Perceived Influence of Large Private Companies and Special interest groups on Policies and Government Decisions 18 Figure 7: Perception on the Government’s Effectiveness in Combating Corruption 20 Figure 8: Anti-Corruption Agencies: Awareness and Perception of their Effectiveness 21 Figure 9: Priorities of Anti-Corruption Activities for the Coming Years 23 Figure 10: Incidence of Corruption Across Sociodemographic Groups of Respondents 24 Figure 11: Contact and Experience of Corruption in 7 Public Services Within the Past 12 Months 25 Figure 12: Contact and Experience of Corruption Across Regions and in Large Cities Within the Past 12 Months 27 Figure 13: Bribery Rate in Different Public Services (2013, 2016, and 2019) 28 Figure 14: To What Extent do you Believe “Sextortion is a Problem in Vietnam” 30 Figure 15: Citizens’ Perception on How Corruption is Reported (2016 and 2019) 31 Figure 16: Primary Reasons Why Citizens do not Report Incidents of Corruption 33 Figure 17: Reasons Why Citizens do not Report Corruption (2016 and 2019) 34 Figure 18: Can Ordinary People Make a Difference in the Fight Against Corruption? 35 Figure 19: Effective Actions to Fight Corruption by Ordinary People 36 Figure 20: The Most Effective Actions by Ordinary People TOWARDS TRANSPARENCY 4 VIETNAM CORRUPTION BAROMETER 2019 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Vietnam Corruption Barometer 2019 (VCB-2019) was conducted in the context of significant attention to anti-corruption in the country. The anti-corruption campaign led by the Communist Party of Vietnam has received a strong political backing as well as increasing support from citizens. Over the past three years, the anti-corruption legal framework was improved, more anti-corruption actions were implemented, and high-ranking officials involved in corruption were prosecuted. While there is much work to be done to strengthen governance and combat corruption in Vietnam, recent efforts seem to have improved the confidence of citizens in their government’s anti-corruption actions. Between July and August 2019, Towards Transparency (TT) surveyed 1,085 citizens in 19 provinces and cities across Vietnam. To get further insight into citizens’ views and experiences, TT also conducted qualitative interviews in November 2019. This 4th edition of the survey provides new insights into the perceptions and experiences of corruption by Vietnamese citizens, and offers recommendations for public and private actors. 5 TOWARDS TRANSPARENCY KEY FINDINGS OF THE VIETNAM CORRUPTION BAROMETER (VCB-2019) 01 03 Corruption is an Increasing Concern for Government Action against Corruption Vietnamese Citizens Perceived as more Effective Surveyed citizens indicated that corruption is their 4th Nearly one in two (49%) said that the government biggest concern (following poverty reduction, food actions are effective or very effective in the fight against hygiene, and crime/safety), escalating from the 7th corruption, that is more than twice the perception level position of biggest concerns as documented in the in 2016 (21%). 2017 edition of the survey. 04 02 More Citizens Believe That They Can Make Nearly One in Five said They Paid a Bribe, a Difference in Combating Corruption a Large Decline from Previous Years Respondents of the 2019 survey (71%) reported they About 18% of respondents who had contact with one have a role to play in the fight against corruption. Up or more of the seven surveyed public services reported from 55% in 2016 and 60% in 2013, this is the highest to have paid bribes in the preceding year. This marks a rate ever recorded. However, nearly one in two does large decrease from previous editions.1 not report for fear of consequences. 6 VIETNAM CORRUPTION BAROMETER 2019 Surveyed citizens indicated that corruption is their 4th biggest concern (following poverty reduction, food hygiene, and crime/ safety), escalating from the 7th position of biggest concerns as documented in the 2017 edition of the survey. 05 07 Citizens Show Concern About Undue Women Appear as Strong Players in Influences from Large Private Companies Anti-Corruption or Special Interest Groups More women believe that corruption has increased 54% of respondents reported that they believe special than men do (48% versus 38%). Women are seen as interest groups often/always influence government less corrupt, with just 4% of respondents saying that policies and decisions for their own interests. women are most often the perpetrators of corruption (versus 88% for men). Fewer female respondents reported paying bribes than men did (15% versus 06 21% for men). Citizens Demand More Integrity from Public Officials 08 Citizens think that the integrity of public and Sexual Extortion is an Issue of Concern government officers should be improved (36%) as Nearly 4 out of 5 (78%) of respondents consider well as strict punishment applied to public officials sexual extortion (sextortion2) to be either “a problem” involved in corruption cases (39%). or “a severe problem” in Vietnam. 3% said they had experienced sextortion or know someone who has. 7 TOWARDS TRANSPARENCY RECOMMENDATIONS Vietnamese citizens perceive corruption as a serious problem. A number of this survey findings however give hope for positive change in Vietnam, and this momentum must be continued to further reduce corruption and enable sustainable development. Ahead of the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam to be held in early 2021, Towards Transparency offers the following recommendations. 8 VIETNAM CORRUPTION BAROMETER 2019 To The Party and State 5. Recognize and address specific gendered forms of corruption: The Party and State should 1. Continue to tackle bribery and other forms legally recognize sexual extortion as a form of of corruption by increasing efforts toensure corruption and take measures to improve the legal the integrity of public officials through anti-corruption framework. effective enforcement of the 2018 Anti- Corruption Law. Particular attention should be To Businesses, Citizens paid to provisions regarding conflicts of interest and asset declarations. and Other Stakeholders 2. Regulate lobbying by large private companies and 6. Businesses to improve integrity and interest groups to avoid undue influence for their transparency as a way to increase their benefit at the cost of the economy. comparative advantage. Consumers (2 out 3 VCB-2019 respondents) are increasingly 3. Empower citizens, social organizations willing to pay more for products or services and media (including social media) to engage from companies with a “clean” reputation. The in anti-corruption by creating favorable new 2018 Anti-corruption Law specifies that conditions, including: companies should develop