Vietnam
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.
News
Individual Cases
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Nguyen Vu Binh
Status: DetainedA former state media journalist, Binh left his post in 2001 to form his own pro-democracy political party. He was… More
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Pham Chi Dung
Status: ImprisonedFounder of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam, Pham was arrested in November 2019 for articles he wrote criticizing human… More
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Le Huu Minh Tuan
Status: ImprisonedLe Tuan has written critically of government policies and in support of democracy. He was arrested in June 2020 under… More
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Pham Doan Trang
Status: ImprisonedA blogger, democracy activist, and non-fiction author, Trang resigned from the Liberal Publishing House in July 2020, citing security threats.… More
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.
