The Vietnamese government has traditionally censored the internet by blocking access to foreign-based websites, slowing down internet traffic, and directing technology companies to bar local users from accessing politically sensitive content.
Speech by Pascal Durand, Member of the European Parliament, at the Le Dinh Luong Human Rights Award Ceremony, Paris, 10 December 2023 * * *
Speech by Pascale Berry-Wavre, Member of COSUNAM, delivered on 10 December 2023 in Paris at the Le Dinh Luong Human Rights Award Ceremony * *
Speech by Nathalie Seff, Executive Director of ACAT-France, at the Le Dinh Luong Human Rights Award Ceremony in Paris, 10 December 2023
Viet Tan is proud to announce that the 2023 Le Dinh Luong Human Rights Award goes to Human Rights Defender Truong Van Dung. The theme of this year’s award is: “75 Years of International Human Rights — Freedom, Equality & Justice for Vietnam.”
As Canada pursues this long-term, multi-faceted strategy, it will undoubtedly prioritize certain relationships. Japan, South Korea and Australia certainly. These are all democracies and important economies. But perhaps Vietnam will be considered a strategic partner as well. The question is how Canada can engage Vietnam while furthering its democratic values?
On January 1, 2023, Vietnam joined the United Nations Human Rights Council after an intense lobbying effort within the international community. Some hoped that this would lead to greater respect for human rights by the Vietnamese government, while others raised alarm about the contradicting nature of the situation. In particular, a country notorious for human rights violations is now tasked in the UN with promoting these rights internationally.
ACAT-France, ACAT Germany, Brotherhood for Democracy, Reporters Without Borders and Viet Tan submit this report on the state of the Human Rights situation in Vietnam with our recommendations for the Office of the UN OHCHR for the 33rd session of the UPR in May 2024.
Hanoi’s reluctance to formalize a strategic relationship with Washington is well known. Observers have long noted the CPV’s fear of offending Beijing and its concerns that a closer relationship with the U.S. could foster “peaceful evolution” away from communist rule.
It is time for the Vietnamese Communist Party to abandon its fear of “peaceful evolution” and truly upgrade diplomatic relations with the United States and other democratic countries. This will help Vietnam avoid excessive dependence on China and to promote its own economic development, especially in the strategic areas of advanced technology, workforce development, and environmental protection.
As you will be visiting Vietnam on September 10th to strengthen the strategic ties between the United States and Vietnam, we, the undersigned organizations, write to express our extreme concern about the human rights situation in Vietnam.
Every year, around April 30th (the date of the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War), Viet Tan’s social media accounts are targeted by cyberattacks from Vietnamese state trolls. This year, the trolls launched their offensive as early as April 28th, and it lasted until May 5th.
