Commentary

European Parliament urged to look closer into Human Rights and the EVFTA in Vietnam

On 28 February 2023, MEP Marianne Vind (S&D, Denmark) hosted a conference to discuss the state of play two years into the entry of the EVFTA at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium. The EVFTA (EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement), signed on 30 June 2019, aims to strengthen human rights, freedom of assembly and labour rights in Vietnam, and give Vietnam frictionless trade access to Europe.

Collective Action for Paracel and Spratly Islands

Today, the international community agrees that the People’s Republic of China is carrying out increasingly aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in the South China Sea. These hostilities began 49 years ago with the Chinese invasion of the Paracel islands (Hoàng Sa) on January 19, 1974, under Vietnamese sovereignty.

#StopVNtrolls – Combatting Force 47 and Cyber Censorship

In a new report titled “#StopVNtrolls — Combatting Force 47 and Cyber Censorship”, Viet Tan exposes the harmful networks that have been responsible for coordinated social harm and supressing public discourse in Vietnam. The paper provides recommendations to Meta in order to cultivate a safe and authentic online environment.

Joint letter calling for the release of Mr. Chau Van Kham

In an open letter to the Vietnamese Prime Minister, human rights activists and elected officials from around the world called on the Vietnamese authorities to immediately release Vietnamese-Australian activist Chau Van Kham and respect the recommendations of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD).

Vietnam’s Prisoners of Conscience – 2022 Report

There are more than 300 activists imprisoned in Vietnam for their political opinions. The following biographies of Vietnamese prisoners of conscience are not exhaustive, but it provides an overview about the people who dare protect human rights and challenge authoritarian rule at the risk of spending decades in prison.

Hanoi’s Beijing Syndrome

The “Vietnamese street” and especially the activist community is known to be anti-China, but the Vietnamese Communist Party is keen to cultivate closer ties.  

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam does not belong in the UN Human Rights Council

According to their candidacy statement, the Hanoi regime “believes in the universality of human rights” and “attaches great importance to the adherence to and implementation of international treaties in protecting and promoting human rights in the country.” The bad news is that the reality is quite the opposite in Vietnam.

Viet Tan Announces New Leadership for 2022-2025 Term

Viet Tan recently concluded its 9th Party Conference to review the Vietnamese struggle for democracy; approve strategies and projects to empower the people of Vietnam to resist the repression of the Vietnamese Communist Party; and elect the leadership to guide Viet Tan through the next three-year term.