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The Vietnamese government has effective control of all traditional media, including the press, television, radio, and other publications. Vietnamese authorities quash dissent, monitoring online spaces to censor and surveil online content. People who criticize the government on issues such as human rights abuses, corruption, territorial disputes, environmental rights, and/or COVID-19 policies are often harassed, arrested, or imprisoned. Vietnam has violated due process and other human rights, including denying legal representation, imposing arbitrary arrests, and subjecting individuals to unfair trials. 

What You Need to Know

Vietnam was among the top jailers of writers in the 2023 PEN America Freedom to Write Index, with 19 writers imprisoned, as the government increasingly clamped down on free expression.

Authorities arrest and imprison writers for making critical statements against the Vietnamese government which is criminalized as “propaganda against the state” under Article 117 of the 2015 Vietnam Penal Code. 

Vietnamese courts have upheld the trend of lengthy imprisonment despite condemnations from the United Nation Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and human rights organizations.

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Individual Cases

  • A man with short black hair and a mustache is smiling, sitting in front of a window. He is wearing a white collared shirt and is seated on a wooden chair.

    Nguyen Vu Binh

    Status:

    Former state media journalist and RFA contributor Nguyen Vu Binh left his post in 2001 to form his own pro-democracy… More

  • A man with short dark hair wearing a black shirt and a white face mask pulled below his chin stands indoors in front of wooden doors, with blurred people in green uniforms in the background.

    Pham Chi Dung

    Status:

    Founder of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam and reporter for VOA, Pham was arrested in November 2019 for articles… More

  • A woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a striped jacket over a floral top, sits indoors and smiles at the camera with her hand resting on a wooden surface. Photo credit: Thinh Nguyen. The scene captures Pham Doan Trang in a moment of warmth and ease.

    Pham Doan Trang

    Status:

    A blogger, democracy activist, and non-fiction author, Trang resigned from the Liberal Publishing House in July 2020, citing security threats.… More

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2024 Barbey/Freedom to Write Award Video: Phạm Đoan Trang

Phạm Đoan Trang received the 2024 PEN Barbey/Freedom Award at the organization’s annual literary gala on May 16, 2024. Phạm Đoan Trang is a Vietnamese writer, publisher, journalist, and pro-democracy activist currently imprisoned in Vietnam due to her writings in support of human rights.

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