In a joint letter to the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sent ahead of Vietnam Human Rights Day, PEN America, together with a coalition of free expression and human rights organizations—including Committee to Protect Journalists, Legal Initiative for Vietnam, PEN International, Reporters Without Borders, Vietnamese Abroad PEN Centre, and Vietnamese Advocates for Change—called for the immediate release of unjustly imprisoned Vietnamese journalists and writers including Pham Doan Trang, Le Huu Minh Tuan, Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, Nguyen Vu Binh; an end to harassment and threats towards journalists and writers; and the repeal of legislation that violates free press and expression.
Vietnam continues to crack down on free expression, targeting writers, journalists, and everyday voices of dissent. According to PEN America’s 2024 Freedom to Write Index, Vietnam ranks as the third-largest jailer of writers globally, with 23 writers behind bars, including 2024 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Awardee Pham Doan Trang. Vietnam ranks 173rd out of 180 in the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index and is among the world’s leading jailers of journalists according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The Vietnamese government also suppresses everyday voices by monopolizing traditional media while censoring and surveilling expression online.
The coalition urges the U.S. State Department to:
- Support persecuted Vietnamese voices: Facilitate humanitarian visas and provide financial assistance to Vietnamese journalists, writers, and dissidents facing persecution, including those affected by the defunding of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (e.g., journalists working with Radio Free Asia or Voice of America).
- Bolster independent media: Allocate funding and resources to support independent media outlets and organizations promoting press freedom in Vietnam.
In discussions with the Vietnamese government, we urge the U.S. State Department to call for:
- Immediate releases of imprisoned writers and journalists: The unconditional release of imprisoned writers, journalists, and dissidents, including Pham Doan Trang, Le Huu Minh Tuan, Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, and Nguyen Vu Binh.
- Fair treatment and due process: Access to prison visits, independent medical care, fair legal representation, and adherence to international human rights standards for jailed writers, journalists, and dissidents.
- End harassment: An end to threats and intimidation against writers, journalists, dissidents, and their families for exercising free expression.
- Repeal of repressive laws: An end to the use of restrictive legal provisions, including Articles 117 and 331 of the Penal Code, the Cybersecurity Law, and related decrees, that suppress free expression and independent journalism.
Read the full joint letter here.
