Abstract

This paper seeks to explore local water related conflict and cooperation based on a quantitative inventory of water related events in Con Cuong district, Nghe An province, Vietnam. It was found that the local water competition situations involve both conflictive and cooperative events, which often evolve in succession of each other. Of the identified events, the majority turned out to be cooperative and many events were often related to the development of water works established in the area. Furthermore, the recorded events mainly take place at local scale within a single community and often between water users within the same user group rather than between water users with different water use. Moreover, most events were found to remain at the local scene and among the immediate involved parties. As far as possible, conflicts and cooperation are tried to be resolved by those involved themselves, and without any involvement of third parties; if denounced to a third part, it is often to community leaders or organisations within the community. The article concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for local water governance and particularly the need to include such findings in the further development of integrated water resource management.

 Key words: Water conflict, water cooperation, water governance, Vietnam.