In Vietnam, the Draft Law on Association, which has been under discussion since 2005, highlights the gradual pluralization of public debate and the growing participation of associations in the political discussion process. The crucial issue raised in this draft law lies in the competition between two reference models for defining the right to form associations and the mode of regulation of civil society: liberal democracy and illiberal authoritarianism which, in Vietnam, refers to the Chinese model. This competition entails a double tension: normative tension about what model could be used and practical tension stemming from an intrinsic paradox of the regime, consisting of its monitoring and channeling of rapid changes as a result of the rise of civil society and the transnational and international pressures. This chapter examines the double tension which arises from competing models in the draft law on association in Vietnam.