Phase 1: ARCHIVAL STUDY Phase 2: INTERVIEWS Archival records Who played the leading roles in influencing the projects? Select interviewees What did opposing stakeholders do? Conduct interviews What was the ordering of their influence strategies? Thanh Nien Newspaper (National/ Negative): 45 Press releases: 3 two Vietnam River Network's leaders CASE 1 Dong Nai Newspaper (Local/ Positive): 34 Offical documents: 3 Thanh Hoa Newspaper (Local/ Positive): 17 Offical documents: 3 two fishermen and a group interview CASE 2 Zingnews Newspaper (National/ Neutral): 11 including two project management office members and an official of urban Vietnamnet Newspaper (National/ Neutral): 10 management unit in Sam Son Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper (National/ Negative): 104 Petitions: 6 Press releases: 2 CASE 3 two Vietnam River Network's leaders Tuoi Tre Newspaper (National/ Negative): 50 Blog archives: 1270 and the founder of Saving Cat Tien Dong Nai Newspaper (Local/ Negative): 92 Offical documents: 3 group + Radio Free Asia Newspaper (International/ Negative): 83 Petitions: 2 CASE 4 two villagers in Con Dau Da Nang Newspaper (Local/ Positive): 75 Offical documents: 3 LEGEND (Title (Level of the newspaper/ Attitude against the project): Quantities of articlesPhase 1: ARCHIVAL STUDY Phase 2: INTERVIEWS Archival records Who played the leading roles in influencing the projects? Select interviewees What did opposing stakeholders do? Conduct interviews What was the ordering of their influence strategies? Thanh Nien Newspaper (National/ Negative): 45 Press releases: 3 two Vietnam River Network's leaders CASE 1 Dong Nai Newspaper (Local/ Positive): 34 Offical documents: 3 Thanh Hoa Newspaper (Local/ Positive): 17 Offical documents: 3 two fishermen and a group interview CASE 2 Zingnews Newspaper (National/ Neutral): 11 including two project management office members and an official of urban Vietnamnet Newspaper (National/ Neutral): 10 management unit in Sam Son Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper (National/ Negative): 104 Petitions: 6 (Press releases: 2 CASE 3 two Vietnam River Network's leaders Tuoi Tre Newspaper (National/ Negative): 50 Blog archives: 1270 and the founder of Saving Cat Tien Dong Nai Newspaper (Local/ Negative): 92 Offical documents: 3 group Radio Free Asia Newspaper (International/ Negative): 83 Petitions: 2 CASE 4 two villagers in Con Dau Da Nang Newspaper (Local/ Positive): 75 Offical documents: 3 LEGEND Title (Level of the newspaper/ Attitude against the project): Quantities of articles Fig. 3. Data collection process."able 1 lheme Inputs withholding Inputs compromising "able 2 Communication Villagers VRN Fishermen Dong N ai authorities SCT Direct action Villagers Fishermen Stakeholders' specic strategies within the direct category. Stakeholders Activity Case 1 2 Villagers Withheld their properties due to disagreements on relocation. National authorities Revoke the investment permits. Villagers Agree to transfer their lands only with higher compensations. National authorities Suspend the project for a thorough investigation. 0 Provincial authorities Change project scope as a result of the shermen's pressure. 0 Stakeholders' specic strategies within the lobbying category. 'heme Stakeholders Activity Communicate to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Vietnam. - Send petitions to the Central Citizen Reception Department. - Send petitions the Prime Minister, the National Assembly and relevant Ministries. - Makes three press releases petitioning provincial and national authorities to stop the project. Spreads the findings from the field trip and conference to news agencies. - Sends petitions to national departments and Ministries involved in the environmental impact assessment of two projects. - Voices opposition in two press releases. Sends the ndings from the eld trips, conferences to media outlets. Petition local and provincial authorities to leave spaces for their shing activities. Send petitions to the Central Government. - Use Dong Nai newspaper to raise the awareness of locals. - Sends petitions to national authorities Communicates the issues to the public via its own website, blog, F acebook pages and photo exhibitions. Attempt to bury the remains of a parishioner at a closed cemetery located within the project site, leading to violent clashes. Protest, demonstrate and block main roads in the capital of Thanh Hoa Province. resulting in authorities' attention and concession. Case 4:. Table 3 Stakeholders' specific strategies within the bolstering category. Theme Stakeholders Activity Case 1 2 3 4 Coalition building Villagers Form alliance with some Trung Luong's villagers VRN Collaborates with Thanh Nien Newspaper Cooperates with Dong Nai authorities, SCT and Tuoi Tre newspaper Dong Nai authorities Cooperate with VRN and SCT SCT Forms alliances with Dong Nai authorities, VRN and Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper Credibility building VRN - Conducts a field trip to collect evidence supporting it claim. Organises an environmental conference. - Surveys residents near the construction site and internet users. - Conducts two field trips to collect evidence against the environmental impact assessments. Organises environmental conferences to point out adversarial impacts and legal issues of the projects Dong Nai authorities Hold a scientific conference to investigate negative environmental impacts of the two projects. SCT - Conducts a survey with residents near projects' sites. - Collects online signatures to protest the government cancel two projects. Engages credible scientists and experts in the group. Conflict escalation Villagers Involve international organisations to the project by accusing the government of abusing the human and religious rights. Fishermen Encourage their children leave schools to take part in the struggle.Appeal to local authorities Appeal to provincial authorities Organise protests and demonstrations L L L B Com Com DIA CoE Encourage their children to leave school and join the fight GENERIC CATEGORY L: Lobbying; B: Bolstering. Specific strategy Com: Communication; DiA: Direct action; CoE: Conflict escalation. Fig. 5. Sam Son fishermen's main strategic activities of in chronological order.Thanh Hoa Newspaper (Local/ Positive): 17 Offical documents: 3 two fishermen and a group interview CASE 2 Zingnews Newspaper (National/ Neutral): 11 including two project management office members and an official of urban Vietnamnet Newspaper (National/ Neutral): 10 management unit in Sam Son