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Tag: Vietnam Briefing

  • Vietnam Briefing: Vietnam Convicted More People With Subversion Charges

    Vietnam Briefing: Vietnam Convicted More People With Subversion Charges

    The Vietnam Briefing, which is released every Monday morning Vietnam time, looks at Vietnam’s social and political developments of the past week.

    Source:  The Vietnamese Magazine

    Appeal hearings scheduled for Vietnamese activists

    • On March 16, Nguyen Thi Anh Tuyet, the partner of activist Do Nam Trung,  announced on social media that the Vietnamese Supreme People’s Court in Hanoi has scheduled an appeal hearing for him on March 24. Trung’s appeal trial will be heard at the Nam Dinh Provincial People’s Court.
    • Tuyet told RFA Vietnamese in an interview that his health and mentality remain in good condition. Tuyet also added that she believed Trung was not guilty and his conviction was “too unfair.” The Nam Dinh-based activist was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment last December on accusations of “distributing anti-state materials.”
    • Meanwhile, the ex-policeman Le Chi Thanh, who was sentenced to two-year incarceration for allegedly “resisting law enforcement officers on duty,” will have his appeal trial on March 31, according to state media. Previously, Thanh filed an appeal against the court’s verdict on February 10, seeking to reduce his sentencing.
    • Trinh Thi Nhung, the wife of Vietnamese activist Bui Van Thuan, received a police summons on March 16 and was requested to present herself at the investigation unit of Thanh Hoa Police Department on the following day regarding her husband’s activism. According to Nhung, Thuan is fully vaccinated, but recently has developed frequent joint pains and needed to take antibiotics.
    • The Vietnamese authorities have transferred two Duong Noi land rights activists, Can Thi Theu and Trinh Ba Tu, to different detention facilities in Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces respectively. Previously, the two were being held in a facility in Hoa Binh Province, where its provincial court sentenced Theu and Tu each to eight years in prison and three years probation for “anti-state” activities.

    Vietnamese authorities blocked activists from attending a Ukraine charity event, Human Rights Watch says

    • According to rights advocate Human Rights Watch (HRW), Vietnam reportedly prevented several democracy activists from attending a fundraising charity bazaar hosted by the Ukrainian Embassy in Hanoi on March 5.
    • In their report, HRW shared two local activists’ experiences, Hoang Ha (known as Song Que) and Dang Bich Phuong, who claimed that plainclothes security agents had prevented them from leaving their house or secretly followed and coerced them not to go to the Ukrainian embassy, where the event was hosted.
    • According to Phuong, she spotted six guys sitting in front of her house lobby, which she assumed were there to prevent her and her friends from going to the event.
    • According to HRW, at least eight democracy campaigners were blocked from going to the embassy’s event, including Nguyen Xuan Dien, Hoang Ha, Nguyen Nguyen Binh, Nguyen Khanh Tram, Nguyen Van Vien, Pham Thi Lan (wife of political prisoner Nguyen Tuong Thuy), Dang Bich Phuong, and Nguyen Hoang Anh.
    • “Vietnamese security agents frequently restrict activists’ movements, blocking them from leaving their homes or neighborhood to prevent them from attending an event the government considers problematic,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of HRW. “Now the Vietnamese government has extended its policy of repressing activism by preventing people from showing support for the embattled people of Ukraine.”
    • Sebastian Strangio, a writer at The Diplomat, explained that Hanoi’s prevention of activists from joining the event might come from its desire to bar local dissidents from “interfacing with foreign governments and prospective foreign supporters.”
    • Strangio said further that the Vietnamese people’s support for Ukraine shows “the narrative of democratic resistance against authoritarian control” adding that this was “anathema to Hanoi.”
    • According to The Vietnamese Magazine’s sources, several high schools in Vietnam have warned their students against discussing or commenting on the topic of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict on several social media groups, claiming that such groups have been “distorting, distributing false information, and inciting violence and protests.”
    • The high schools added that students sharing information regarding this conflict from the above-mentioned groups could be a violation of Vietnam’s Cyber Security Laws.

    Vietnam objects to the granting of International Women of Courage Award to journalist Pham Doan Trang

    Reuters:

    • On March 17, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang objected to the United States granting a prize for courage to dissident journalist Pham Doan Trang, describing her award as “unobjective and unsuitable.”
    • Hang claimed that Trang had violated Vietnamese law and thus the U.S. prize was “not conducive for the development of bilateral relations.” The spokeswoman added that Vietnam’s policy was to “always safeguard and promote the basic rights of our citizens, including women’s rights.”
    • U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Pham Doan Trang as winner last Monday at the ceremony of the International Women of Courage Award, which was also attended by First Lady Jill Biden. Blinken condemned the imprisonment of Trang as an unjust imprisonment.
    • “Despite facing threats – constant threats – she continued educating others about their rights,” Blinken said of Trang. “We condemn her unjust imprisonment. We call for her immediate release,” he said.

    Native of An Giang Province sentenced to six years in prison on subversion charge

    • On March 16, the Vietnamese court of An Giang Province sentenced Le Thi Kim Phi to six years in prison on accusations of “organizing activities to topple the government.”
    • According to the court verdict, Phi used her Facebook account to contact  members of the U.S.-based opposition group Provisional Government of Vietnam and shared on her Facebook account “anti-state information.”
    • Most of the evidence used to prosecute the case was collected on Phi’s social media account. The An Giang resident was arrested in July 2021.
    • The Provisional Government of Vietnam was classified as a terrorist group in 2018 by Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security. However, according to its founder, Dao Minh Quan, there was no evidence to back Hanoi’s accusations.

    Two Khanh Hoa residents convicted of “subverting the government”

    • On March 15, the court of Khanh Hoa Province sentenced Ton Nu The Trang and Nguyen Xuan Tinh to 12 years and nine years in jail respectively on allegations of “organizing activities to topple the government.” Both will also serve an additional three years of probation.
    • According to state media, Trang participated in an online group called “Tien Rong” (Fairy and Dragon), which was regarded as “reactionary” by the Vietnamese government.
    • Meanwhile, Tinh was accused of using his Facebook account to join a secret online group called “Viet Tan tuong tro” (Viet Tan’s mutual aid), which was framed by the local authorities as a subordinate group under the control of the Viet Tan organization. Hanoi alleged that Viet Tan was a terrorist group, but the organization rejected this allegation.
    • State media quoted the court’s comment that the activities committed by Trang and Tinh were “particularly serious.” As a result, there should be a “stern punishment” to help “educate the accused” and serve as a “general prevention [and] deterrence [of such activities] in the society.”

    Vietnamese coffee growers protest over loss of land rights in Central Highlands

    RFA:

    • On March 17, about 100 coffee growers in Vietnam’s Central Highlands staged a protest following a local company’s confiscation of farm lands. The farmers claimed that they had lost the usage of land after they stopped sending some of their crops to a forestry company called Buon Ja Wam Forestry Company Ltd.
    • Local protesters say they invested their own funds to grow crops on the land provided by the company, but then had to turn over what they produced to the company, which collected their products without providing fertilizer, water, or technical assistance beforehand.
    • The villagers also said that Buon Ja Wam had sent staff to intimidate and threaten farmers who failed to make their in-kind payments on time, beating some to the point of sustaining serious injuries. Local residents also said that they suspected an interest group was backing the company.
    • “Their wrongdoings have been obvious, but as rank-and-file farmers, we had no choice but to work like slaves,” one resident told RFA.

    Vietnam – China’s South China Sea disputes

    • Reuters on March 12 quoted a state media report that Vietnam has banned Sony’s action movie “Uncharted” from its cinema screens because of a scene featuring a map that shows China’s U-shaped “nine-dash line” to stake its claim to large parts of the South China Sea.
    • Previously, Vietnam asked China not to violate its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf after Beijing held military drills from March 4 to March 15 in an area between its Hainan Province and Vietnam’s central coast, reported Bloomberg.
    • In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on March 8 at a regular press briefing in Beijing that “China’s military exercise on its own doorstep is reasonable and lawful.”
    • Meanwhile, in an unusually bold move, the Vietnamese government on March 12 commemorated the 34th anniversary of the battle of Johnson South Reef (or Gac Ma in Vietnamese.) It took place in 1988 when Vietnamese soldiers were confronted by Chinese troops when they carried construction materials onto the reef and put up a Vietnamese flag there. The event led to the deaths of 64 Vietnamese soldiers. Johnson South Reef has remained under China’s control since.

    Vietnam Insight: Learn more about Vietnam

    Vietnam Netizens Reactions at Odds with Vietnam’s Stance on Ukraine

    Fulcrum/ Dien Nguyen An Luong, Amirul Adli Rosli/ March 16

    “In sum, it is the bigger chunk of Vietnamese netizens who are unhappy with their government’s abstention that reflects a stubborn challenge facing the authorities. In its constant efforts to walk on an ever-narrowing tightrope in dealing with the major powers, Vietnam has to continue keeping a wary eye on a public that has become increasingly pro-US. The growing Sino-Russian nexus seems poised to exacerbate this sentiment in Vietnam, where being cast as meek and kowtowing to Beijing can be politically damaging.”

    How to Solve the South China Sea Disputes

    ISEAS Perspective/ Bill Hayton/ March 15

    “This then suggests the basis for a compromise solution to the South China Sea disputes: each claimant keeps what it currently occupies and drops its claims to the other features. There is a legal name for this principle: uti possidetis, ita possideatis – what you have is what you keep.”

    The Russia-Ukraine War: Parallels and Lessons for Vietnam

    Fulcrum/ Hoang Thi Ha/ March 14

    “A more important parallel between Ukraine and Vietnam is that both countries lie in the immediate periphery of great powers. Their respective neighbourhoods are vulnerable to power politics and security dilemmas. Both have and will continue to be primary objects in great powers’ tussle for spheres of influence. At the heart of their national existence is the precarious line between preserving their strategic autonomy and being sensitive towards their larger neighbours’ security concerns vis-à-vis other peer adversaries.”

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    More from The Vietnamese Magazine
  • Vietnam Briefing: Ambassadors In Vietnam Call On Hanoi To Support Ukraine

    Vietnam Briefing: Ambassadors In Vietnam Call On Hanoi To Support Ukraine

    The Vietnam Briefing, which is released every Monday morning Vietnam time, looks at Vietnam’s social and political developments of the past week.

    Source:  The Vietnamese Magazine

    Ambassadors in Vietnam call on Hanoi to support Ukraine in the midst of Russia’s invasion

    RFA:

    • Nearly two dozen ambassadors from the European Union, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom serving in Vietnam have called on Hanoi to support Ukraine in an op-ed published on March 8. The call was publicized following Vietnam’s abstention in the United Nations’ resolution condemning Russian aggression against a sovereign country.
    • The diplomats also acknowledged Vietnam’s special relationship to Russia due to its shared history with the Soviet Union. “The Soviet Union helped Vietnam in times of need when others did not,” wrote the op-ed signed by 22 ambassadors in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi. “But the Soviet Union is long gone and we are in a new era,” they added.
    • “But in this time of crisis we must all focus on the fundamental question of whether it is justified for Russia, a big country, to bully and invade its neighbor Ukraine, in order to try and redraw boundaries on the map against international rules,” the letter noted.
    • In conclusion, the diplomats implored Vietnam to share their view that de-escalation and withdrawal are the right actions for legal and humanitarian reasons as well as the correct political choice for Russia and the international community for the sake of peace and stability.

    Vietnamese police continue investigation into local monastery over “abuse of democratic freedom” charges

    • State media on March 8 quoted a police officer in Long An Province Police as saying that they had continued their search and further investigations into Tinh That Bong Lai, a local monastery and orphanage, over accusations of “abusing democratic freedom,” “committing fraud,” and “incest.”
    • Previously, the police had conducted an investigation into the monastery and arrested four of its monks and nuns, including head monk Le Tung Van, for “abusing democratic freedom.” Van was later granted bail and put under house arrest due to his old age.
    • Three other monks, Le Thanh Hoan Nguyen, Le Thanh Nhat Nguyen, and Le Thanh Trung Duong were recently transferred to a provincial detention center and had their detention duration extended for another month to comply with a further police investigation.
    • Attorney Dang Dinh Manh, who registered as one of Tinh That Bong Lai’s defense attorneys, told RFA on January 21 that the nuns and monks living inside the monastery were “completely isolated from the outside world,” referring to the heavy police presence guarding the facility.
    • Several independent observers claim that the Vietnamese authorities have deployed these charges to legitimize their suppression of religious freedom.

    Vietnamese villagers protesting over land rights attacked by plainclothes individuals

    RFA:

    • More than 100 Vietnamese villagers demanding title to their land were assaulted on March 7 by attackers wearing civilian clothes while police looked on and refused to intervene, according to local sources.
    • The attack took place in Dien Ban Town, located in central Vietnam’s Quang Nam Province. It came after petitioners set up tents and raised banners in front of the town’s People’s Committee headquarters, asking for their right to land plots for which they paid five years ago, RFA quoted a local source as saying.
    • A group of around 30 men wearing face masks, helmets, and civilian clothes later arrived and attacked the group, beating petitioners including children and elderly women, said Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam, a local petitioner. “They even sprayed us with fire extinguishers and took away our tents, illegally detaining protesters and taking them to a nearby police station,” she added.
    • Individuals associated with the police have frequently been used by Vietnamese authorities in the past to break up land-rights protests or attack political dissidents or members of unsanctioned religious groups.

    Pham Doan Trang featured as a recipient of the 2022 International Women of Courage Award

    • On March 8, the U.S. Department of State announced a list of 12 women recipients of the 2022 International Women of Courage Award (IWOC). This year, Vietnamese journalist Pham Doan Trang has been featured as one of the award recipients for her works and advocacy of “human rights, rule of law, and the inclusion of all voices in political spaces in Vietnam.”
    • In its 16th year, the IWOC Award has honored women around the world who “have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equity and equality, and the empowerment of women and girls, in all their diversity,” writes the media note. The awardees have been recognized especially for their sacrifice due to the risky nature of their work.
    • According to the State Department, the awardees are nominated by U.S. diplomatic missions in their host countries and the finalists are chosen and approved by senior State Department officials. The First Lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden, will deliver her remarks at the IWOC ceremony recognizing this year’s IWOC awardees.
    • Meanwhile, in an interview with RFA on International Women’s Day on March 8, activist and singer Mai Khoi said that up to 63 percent of Vietnamese women have experienced a certain type of violence, and the lack of government attention to this important issue.
    • “The most important thing is every Vietnamese woman needs to understand her rights,” Mai Khoi said in the interview. “Once they have a good understanding, they will use their rights properly and not allow violence and abuse. They will also be able to become the person they would like to be.”

    German Consul General meets with local activists in Vietnam’s Central Highlands

    VOA News:

    • On March 9, Josefine Wallat, consul general at the Consulate of Germany in Ho Chi Minh City, held a meeting with Vietnamese human rights and religious freedom activists in Buon Ma Thuot City, Dak Lak Province.
    • On the next day, Wallat visited the families of Ngo Van Dung and Huynh Thuc Vy, two local prisoners of conscience in the region, and  Pham Ngoc Thach of the Vietnamese Gospel Mennonite Church. During the visit, she asked about the conditions and overall health of the political prisoners. “I am truly glad that they [the German consulate] care about us, even though we live in a rural area,” said Huynh Thi Kim Nga, wife of Ngo Van Dung.
    • Dung was a citizen journalist and also a member of the Hien Phap (Constitution) group, an organization established with an aim to educate Vietnamese citizens of their constitutional rights. He was arrested in 2018 under “disrupting security” charges and sentenced to five years in prison. Huynh Thuc Vy was a freelance blogger who was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison for spraying paint on Vietnam’s national flag.
    • According to the activists and the prisoners’ families, the local authorities did not harass and prevent them from meeting with the German consul general. But the activists noticed that there seemed to be secret surveillance from the public security forces.

    Vietnam Prime Minister pays tribute to martyrs of the Spratly reefs skirmish

    VnExpress:

    • Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh paid tribute on March 12 to soldiers who died defending the Johnson South Reef, or Gac Ma in Vietnamese, against China 34 years ago.
    • Chinh laid floral tributes and burned incense at the Gac Ma memorial site in the central province of Khanh Hoa, which commemorates the 64 Vietnamese soldiers who died defending the reefs in the Spratly Archipelago on March 14, 1988. Vietnam subsequently lost the battle and Gac Ma was later controlled by Chinese forces.

    Two military officials arrested for being involved in Vietnam’s COVID-19 testing kit fraud

    VnExpress:

    “Two officials at the Military Medical Academy in Hanoi were arrested Tuesday for their involvement in the test kit fraud of Viet A Technology Corporation.

    Colonel Ho Anh Son, deputy director of the academy’s Military Medical Research Institute, is being investigated for “embezzlement” and “abuse of power and official position” in line with the Penal Code, while Senior Colonel Nguyen Van Hieu, head of the Equipment and Supplies Department, is under investigation for “violating regulations on bidding, causing serious consequences.””

    Vietnam Insight: Learn more about Vietnam

    Ukraine: Putin’s Vietnam?

    WhoWhatWhy/ William Dowell/ March 10

    “The irony is that, in contrast to Vietnam, Ukraine really has strategic importance. It is the keystone to security in Europe, effectively a buffer that separates today’s Russia from its former satellite colonies in Eastern Europe. Short-range nuclear missiles stationed in Ukraine could hold most of the capitals of Europe hostage to Putin’s ambitions. Likewise, if Ukraine were to fall in NATO’s camp, similar missiles could threaten Russia’s heartland.”

    School Closures and Child Labour: The Pandemic’s Social Cost

    Fulcrum/ Thai Long, Phi Minh Hong/ March 11

    “Most countries do not officially report child labour statistics, but the available data paints a sobering picture. UNICEF’s database, published by Save the Children, shows that child labour – defined as the proportion of the population aged 5 to 17 years involved in work – is significant in the ASEAN region. However, the problem varies in severity across countries. Between 2012 and 2019, child labour incidence was recorded at 28.2 percent in Laos and 13.1 percent in Vietnam. Cambodia’s rate of 12.6 percent is identical to the global average. ASEAN countries have implemented excellent policies to reduce poverty and raise awareness about child development over the past years, but COVID-19 might have slowed down or even reversed the progress made.”

    Russian Invasion of Ukraine Poses Geopolitical Quandaries for Vietnam

    Fulcrum/ Phan Xuan Dung/ March 2

    “Hanoi’s problem is that many of the parties involved in the conflict have healthy and cooperative relationships with Vietnam. Russia is a comprehensive strategic partner and Vietnam’s largest weapons supplier. The US enjoys growing security and defence cooperation with Vietnam. Ukraine has a comprehensive partnership with Vietnam and the two countries have been stepping up bilateral cooperation on various issues. Vietnam’s business and trade connections with Europe are also thriving. Hanoi would want to avoid rocking the boat in any of these relationships.”

    Why the Russia-Ukraine War is Not the Same as the Sino-Vietnamese War of 1979

    The Diplomat/ Khang Vu/ March 1

    “The difference in Vietnam having an official ally while Ukraine does not renders infeasible any attempts to use the Sino-Vietnamese war to predict Russian behavior. We cannot even guess if China’s invasion of Vietnam would have been limited in the absence of a Vietnam-Soviet alliance, or whether China would have invaded had Hanoi never tilted to the Soviet side in the first place. Counterfactual reasoning is rarely easy.”

    Vietnam’s crackdown target: citizens who can inspire others
    RFA/ Zachary Abuza/ March 7

    “In fact, security forces are increasingly surgical in who they target: people who have the ability to mobilize their fellow citizens.

    That speaks to the insecurities and vulnerabilities of the Vietnam Communist Party (VCP), which rose to power not just through their leadership in the anti-colonial struggle against the French and Americans, but through their ability to mobilize the population. That remains a key function of the party.”

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  • Vietnam Briefing: Vietnam Abstains From Condemning Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine

    Vietnam Briefing: Vietnam Abstains From Condemning Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine

    The Vietnam Briefing, which is released every Monday morning Vietnam time, looks at Vietnam’s social and political developments of the past week.

    Source:  The Vietnamese Magazine

    Vietnam abstained from United Nations’ resolution condemning Russian aggression

    • On March 2, as the UN General Assembly approved a nonbinding resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Vietnam remained one of 35 countries that abstained. It is also one of the only two countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN,) together with Laos, that chose not to publicly vote in favor of the resolution.
    • In the resolution, the UN stated that it deplored “the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine.” It also demanded that Russia “immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine” and “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces.”
    • Vietnamese Ambassador at the UN Dang Hoang Giang on March 1 made a speech during its special session on the situation in Ukraine, calling on involved parties to “stop the use of force, resume dialogue, and seek longterm solutions to differences.”
    • He also mentioned the need to “ensure security and safety of the people and protect essential infrastructure in accordance with international humanitarian law” and asked the international community to “continue providing humanitarian aid for civilians.”
    • Nataliya Zhynkina, chargé d’affaires a.i. at the Embassy of Ukraine in Vietnam, wrote in a Facebook status that she was “deeply disappointed” about its abstention.
    • As Russia’s closest partner and ally, the Vietnamese government has been largely silent on voicing its support for Ukraine while refraining from criticizing Russia for its unprovoked attacks on a sovereign state. Meanwhile, local pro-government internet users have also been seen widely supporting the Kremlin’s manufactured reasons for its invasion.

    Vietnamese scholars, lawyers, and activists show support for Ukrainian people

    Radio Free Asia:

    • Two groups of Vietnamese scholars, attorneys, and representatives from civil society organizations voiced support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invading army. It strikes a markedly different tone than their government’s stance, which has largely been silent on the war.
    • In a letter to Nataliya Zhynkina, three dozen Vietnamese declared themselves “freedom lovers” and urged Ukrainians to resist Russia in defense of their “young democracy,” which emerged from an authoritarian past.
    • Among the signatories were members of the Civil Society Forum, Nguyen Trong Vinh Club, Le Hieu Dang Club, Lap Quyen Dan, and Vietnam Independent Writers Initiative. They noted that while Vietnam is a communist country, many Vietnamese believe that independence and democracy — values that Ukrainians are protecting — are important.
    • The letter and a second one a group of attorneys wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin circulated among closed groups on Facebook. They stand in sharp contrast to the Vietnamese government’s overarching passivity to the conflict.
    • The two letters also criticized Vietnamese who support Putin’s actions in Ukraine. “Given invasion threats from China, as Vietnamese people, they should have empathized with Ukrainian people instead of supporting Putin’s invasion,” Mac Van Trang, an expert on sociopolitical issues in Vietnam, said about the pro-Russia stance of several Vietnamese groups. “How stupid and narrowminded they are!”
    • Meanwhile, on March 4, a group of local activists and civil society organizations gave donations worth more than 200 million dong (US$8,755) to the Ukrainian Embassy in Vietnam via its chargé d’affaires Nataliya Zhynkina. The donations were locally raised and “surpassed 200 million after one day,” one of the organizers wrote. “We understand and […] share the losses that the Ukrainian people and its government have been bearing,” he added.

    Vietnamese activist arrested on allegations of “distributing anti-state materials”

    • Vietnam’s state media on March 1 reported that Ho Chi Minh City Police had arrested Tran Van Bang, a local dissident, and pro-democracy activist, for investigations of his alleged activities of “storing, making, and posting online materials that propagandize, distort, and defame the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.” It added that his posts had “intended to defy the government and negatively affect social security and order.”
    • Bang was subsequently prosecuted under Article 117 of Vietnam’s 2015 Penal Code, which penalizes anyone who “distributes anti-state materials.”According to the police, the investigation agency had conducted a search of his house and “collected a number of books and materials containing anti-state information.”
    • Following Bang’s arrest, his attorney – Dang Dinh Manh – told RFA that he was in the process of registering to defend his client. Attorney Manh added that he would be allowed visitation to his client only after the police finished its investigation.
    • Bang, 61, is a member of the Le Hieu Dang Club, a local organization advocating for democracy and the protection of Vietnam’s sovereignty, and also a regular attendee at several anti-China protests in Vietnam. In 2015, he was assaulted by security forces at an anti-China rally in Ho Chi Minh City.

    Vietnamese court postponed the trial of former journalist

    • On March 3, the Hanoi People’s Court announced that the trial of former independent journalist Le Van Dung was postponed after one of the judges tested positive for COVID-19, according to attorney Ha Huy Son.
    • Previously, Dung had his trial scheduled on March 11 on accusations of “distributing anti-state propaganda.” The new trial date will be announced later, Son added.
    • Commonly known by his pen name Le Dung Vova, Dung was detained in late June last year after the police issued a national warrant for his arrest. He owned a Vietnamese language personal media channel – Chan Hung Nuoc Viet TV – where he reported and live-streamed his comments on different social and environmental issues.

    China announces South China Sea drills close to Vietnam coast

    Reuters:

    “In a statement late on Friday, the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration said the drills would start from the same day and last until March 15.

    It provided coordinates for an area roughly halfway between Hainan’s Sanya and the Vietnamese city of Hue. Sanya is home to a major Chinese naval base.”

    Salinization in Mekong Delta in Vietnam to a spike in March

    Radio Free Asia:

    “On Feb. 7, Vietnam’s Southern Institute of Water Resources Research (SIWRR) said that the Mekong Delta had been suffering from early salinity intrusion since the beginning of the dry season as China had been limiting water discharge from its upstream hydropower plants.

    According to SIWRR, China’s decision to cut water discharge from its storage reservoirs to generate electricity has been one of the key causes of the salinity levels.”

    Vietnam Insight: Learn more about Vietnam

    Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: The Diplomatic Dilemma Facing Vietnam

    The Diplomat/ Hai Hong Nguyen/ March 4

    “Prima facie, these statements reveal that Vietnam faces a dilemma in how to respond to the war in Ukraine. Reading between the lines, however, Vietnam is sending different messages not only on Russia and Ukraine but also with regard to other potential future conflicts.”

    ASEAN needs to uphold principles, not neutrality, in Ukraine war

    Nikkei Asia/ Huong Le Thu/ March 2

    “Still, ASEAN’s muted response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine is disappointing. Even more so was the joint statement by ASEAN foreign ministers calling for restraint from “all parties.”

    Trying to remain impartial when one country is bombing the unarmed civilians of another country does nothing to uphold the principle of neutrality. It is, in fact, a blurring of black and white.”

    ASEAN response to Ukraine crisis a show of ‘diplomatic cowardice’

    RFA/ Zachary Abuza/ March 2

    “Already riddled with divisions over Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, the damming of the Mekong, the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya, and the 2021 coup d’êtat in Myanmar, ASEAN, through its toothless response to the Russian invasion, yet again is proving inept in collectively addressing a security issue with potential implications for Southeast Asia.”

    What’s in a Name: The Promise and Peril of a US-Vietnam ‘Strategic Partnership’

    The Diplomat/ Phuong Vu/ March 2

    “It should not be controversial to point out that Vietnam and the U.S. share a deeper, more multi-faceted relationship than some nations higher up in Hanoi’s diplomatic hierarchy. Since 2013, the U.S.-Vietnam comprehensive partnership has made significant strides. In 2020, bilateral trade reached $92.2 billion, more than nine times higher than Vietnam’s trade with India. The U.S. is Vietnam’s 11th largest investor, with nearly $10 billion invested in the country.”

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  • Vietnam Briefing: Vietnam “Concerned” About The Situation in Ukraine, Plans To Evacuate Its Citizens

    Vietnam Briefing: Vietnam “Concerned” About The Situation in Ukraine, Plans To Evacuate Its Citizens

    The Vietnam Briefing, which is released every Monday morning Vietnam time, looks at Vietnam’s social and political developments of the past week.

    Source: The Vietnamese Magazine

    Vietnamese courts approve appeal requests for local activists

    • On February 14, the Hanoi Supreme People’s Court sent a notice to attorney Dang Dinh Manh that on January 27 it had approved his application as a defense lawyer for the appeal trial of journalist Pham Doan Trang.
    • The court’s decision was followed by Doan Trang’s request for an appeal after her conviction of “distributing anti-state propaganda” and received nine years of imprisonment. The appeal hearing is expected to take place within 90 days of the approval day.
    • Also, the family of activist Do Nam Trung announced last week that the Hanoi Court on the same day had approved attorney Dang Dinh Manh as a defense lawyer for his appeal hearing. Trung was given a 10-year prison sentence for “distributing anti-state propaganda” last year, which was considered relatively harsh given his less well-known activism.
    • Meanwhile, attorney Manh also told RFA Vietnamese in an interview that he would defend Le Huu Minh Tuan, a member of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam (IJAVN), in his appeal hearing scheduled on February 28. Tuan was sentenced to an 11-year prison sentence in January 2021, along with two other members of IJAVN, on allegations of “distributing anti-state propaganda.
    • At the same time, Tran Quoc Khanh, who self-nominated himself as a candidate for Vietnam’s National Assembly elections last year, had his previous conviction upheld at an appeal trial on February 17. Khanh was sentenced to six and a half years of imprisonment last October under allegations of “distributing anti-state propaganda.”

    Vietnamese court to try another independent journalist on “anti-state” charges

    • The Hanoi People’s Court is scheduled to hold a trial on March 11 for the independent journalist Le Van Dung, commonly known by his pen name Le Dung Vova, on accusations of “distributing anti-state propaganda,” according to his defense lawyer Ha Huy Son.
    • Dung, 52, was detained in late June last year after the police issued a national warrant for his arrest. He was on the run when the investigation authorities announced their decision to prosecute and arrest him in May 2021.
    • Le Van Dung owned a Vietnamese language personal media channel, Chan Hung Nuoc Viet TV, where he reported and live-streamed his comments on different social and environmental issues. According to Dung’s family, the evidence used to prosecute him mostly consists of his online live streamings.
    • Attorney Son also told RFA Vietnamese during an interview that his client’s health and mentality remained stable.

    Local citizens assaulted over land rights disputes

    • Last week, a video showing a group of people wearing uniforms beating up several female protesters was widely circulated on Vietnamese social media. The conflict was later confirmed to have occurred at a construction site on February 18 in Hoang Hoa District, Thanh Hoa Province.
    • According to RFA’s investigation, the citizens who were assaulted during the conflict are members of a local family who had disputes over land ownership with an investment company called Flamingo. The company is carrying out a luxury resort project at the locality. Meanwhile, the attackers were said to be Flamingo’s security guards.
    • Tran Huy Hiep, who recorded the video, and who also has a land ownership dispute with Flamingo, said that his land was forcefully confiscated by the investment company without any compensation. When asked about whether or not his family had informed the provincial authorities of the conflict, Hiep said his family had contacted the district authorities, but that they claimed that “the land was owned by the local district government” and therefore it has the right to “sell that [land] to the company.”

    The Archdiocese of Hanoi calls for respect for religious freedom in a letter to authorities

    Agenzia Fides:

    • On February 24, the Catholic Church in Hanoi sent a letter of urgent complaint to various Vietnamese provincial and national authorities and called on the People’s Committee of Hoa Binh Province to respect the religious freedom and pastoral activities of the Catholic faithful in the province.
    • The letter was published four days after two people entered the Vu Ban Church in Hoa Binh Province, taking the microphone from the pulpit and ordering those attending mass to disperse for “pandemic control” reasons. The people are the secretary of the Communist Party of the city of Vu Ban City, Pham Hong Duc, and vice-president of its People’s Committee, Pham Van Chien.
    • In the published letter, the Archdiocese of Hanoi said: “This is a disrespectful act, an abuse of power that seriously violates the right to religious freedom, the right to the religious practice of bishops, priests and laypeople.”
    • The statement also said that this gesture “is unacceptable in a country where the rule of law prevails” and it “has aroused indignation and the pain of those who attended the mass as well as all those who saw the images on the web and social media.”

    The Vietnamese government, “concerned” about the situation in Ukraine, plans to evacuate citizens

    • In a statement on February 25, the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang said Vietnam “is concerned about the armed conflict in Ukraine” and that it called on involved sides “to exercise restraint, abide by the United Nations Charter and basic principles of international law,” among other things.
    • The country, however, did not condemn Russia’s military operations against Ukraine while only describing the invasion as “armed conflict” on state media.
    • At the same time, Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered the Ministry of Transport to prepare plans to evacuate Vietnamese citizens and their families in Ukraine, VnExpress reports. According to government numbers, there are about 7,000 Vietnamese people living in Ukraine, mainly in Kharkiv, Odessa, and Kyiv.

    U.S. envoy for climate vows to help Vietnam meet key COP26 commitment

    VnExpress:

    • The U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, John Kerry, has expressed his appreciation for Vietnam’s COP26 commitments and reaffirmed the U.S. pledge to assist the country with this effort.
    • Kerry, who paid a four-day visit to Vietnam starting February 22, said the U.S. stood ready to assist Vietnam in reviewing, adjusting its strategy, and planning towards the goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, a key commitment announced by Vietnam’s leaders at COP26 in the United Kingdom last November.
    • He also added the United States would continue to work closely with Vietnam on specific and timely measures, especially in developing renewable energy and reducing emissions, formulating policies to phase out coal power, and developing sustainable infrastructure.

    Forbes Vietnam removes a man from its Under 30 list following harassment allegations

    VnExpress:

    • Ngo Hoang Anh, 22, has been removed from the Forbes Vietnam Under 30 list, the magazine announced Thursday. The Forbes list published on February 14 honors Anh in the field of science and education, but it drew a backlash after several high school classmates said they had been verbally harassed by him.
    • “Regarding the case of Ngo Hoang Anh, after carefully considering all aspects of the issue, including the inspirational spirit of the list and Ngo Hoang Anh’s wishes in an email sent to the magazine, Forbes Vietnam decided to withdraw him from Year 2022 Under 30 list.”
    • The Forbes Vietnam 30 Under 30 listing has been honoring Vietnamese youth in several areas including businesses and startups, science and education, social activities, art, entertainment, and sports.

    Vietnam Hit by Fuel Shortages as Hundreds of Retailers Run Dry

    Bloomberg:

    “Vietnam is suffering from fuel shortages with hundreds of retailers forced to halt sales, prompting Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to order an investigation of the market, including imports and exports of gasoline.

    Nearly 300 petrol and oil retailers across the country have stopped product sales, according to the trade ministry, which carried out a round of inspections. Reasons ranged from insufficient supplies from wholesalers and distributors to workers contracting Covid-19, it said. Local media have published photos of shuttered petrol stations displaying signs that they had run out of gasoline.”

    Vietnam Insight: Learn more about Vietnam

    On Ukraine crisis, Vietnam media stray from typical pro-Russia coverage

    RFA/ RFA Staff/ February 24

    “When the so-called Euromaidan protest movement rocked Ukraine in 2014, followed by the Russia-Ukraine conflict that led to the annexation of Crimea by Russia, Vietnamese state-run media generally blamed the crisis on “the West.” Fault was seen to lie with the U.S. and on NATO expansion aimed at bringing Ukraine out of Russia’s sphere of influence.

    Today, the picture is different.”

    Looking beyond the tip of Vietnam’s corruption iceberg

    East Asia Forum/ Hai Hong Nguyen/ February 23

    “With public attention increasing, the Viet A case will serve as a ‘test kit’ for Trong and the CPV’s anti-corruption efforts. Vietnamese netizens are embroiled in the question of the true perpetrators behind this multi-million-dollar case. Some suspect the case is wholesale ‘state manipulation’ beyond just a few bad actors. Regardless, Phan Dinh Trac, an assistant to Trong in the CSCC and Head of the Central Commission for Internal Affairs (CCIA), recently affirmed that the CCIA would pursue the Viet A and other grand corruption cases to the end despite mounting pressure.”

    President Phuc Wants To Solidify Vietnam’s Strategic Ties With Singapore

    Eurasia Review/ Veeramalla Anjaiah/ February 25

    “With a population of about 100 million people and a dynamic market profile (low-cost labor, rapid-growing economy, and strategic location among other strengths), Vietnam is an appealing target for Singapore partners to establish businesses.

    Vietnam needs a strong supporter like Singapore in its conflict with China. The aggressive behavior of China in the SCS and growing tensions between China and the US are threatening the peace and security in the region.”

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  • Vietnam Briefing: Human Rights Watch Says Vietnam Systematically Restricts And Violates Freedom Of Movement

    Vietnam Briefing: Human Rights Watch Says Vietnam Systematically Restricts And Violates Freedom Of Movement

    The Vietnam Briefing, which is released every Monday morning Vietnam time, looks at Vietnam’s social and political developments of the past week.

    Source:  The Vietnamese Magazine

    Day to remember: On February 17, 1979, hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops crossed Vietnam’s northern border and launched a bloody invasion of its ideological bedfellow. While Chinese soldiers reportedly withdrew from Vietnam on March 18, sporadic clashes and provocations by Chinese forces were documented in several of Vietnam’s border provinces over the coming decades. It is estimated that tens of thousands of casualties were recorded on both sides.

    The Vietnamese government systematically restricts the freedom of movement of political dissidents, says Human Rights Watch

    • On February 17, rights advocate Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report documenting the Vietnamese government’s violation of the right to freedom of movement of local activists, dissidents, human rights defenders, and others.
    • The 65-page report, titled “Locked Inside Our Home: Movement Restrictions on Rights Activists in Vietnam,” reviews the government’s systematic obstruction of movement of more than 170 Vietnamese activists, bloggers, human rights defenders, as well as their family members. The Vietnamese authorities are reportedly “engaged in collective punishment” against dissidents, including the practice of imposing arbitrary house arrests, confiscating their passports, banning them from international travel, and other forms of control.
    • According to HRW, these methods are used to prevent local dissenting communities from “attending protests, criminal trials, meetings with foreign diplomats and a US president, and other events.”
    • “Vietnamese rights campaigners face severe government repression just because they dare to organize or attend events, or seek to travel for their work,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of HRW. “Vietnam’s donors and trade partners should recognize this daily repression of free movement and press the government to end these paralyzing practices.”

    Vietnamese workers strike to demand better working benefits

    RFA reports:

    • More than 2,000 workers at a Korean electronics factory in Vietnam’s northern industrial province of Bac Ninh went on strike on Monday, following a successful worker action at another foreign-owned plant in the country, local media reported.
    • Employees at the Cresyn Hanoi Co factory demanded wage increases, meal allowances, and bonuses for working on Vietnam’s Reunification Day on April 30 and Labor Day on May 1, according to a Vietnamese daily newspaper, Tien Phong.
    • The strike comes after a successful strike by workers at the Taiwanese-owned footwear manufacturer Viet Glory Co., a factory located in central Vietnam’s Nghe An Province. The company ceded to demands by its 5,000-strong workforce to increase salaries and provide extra pay for long-term workers, along with other benefits, according to state media.

    Dissident blogger Huynh Thuc Vy relocated to a new detention center

    • On February 18, the family of activist and dissident blogger Huynh Thuc Vy told RFA Vietnamese that she had been transferred to a new detention center, which is located about 200 kilometers from her home.
    • Vy, 36, was sentenced to nearly three years in prison for “insulting Vietnam’s national flag” in 2018 after she was found spraying paint on the Communist country’s flag on its Independence Day. She was granted a stay of execution but was subsequently arrested on December 1 last year after the court reversed its previous decision.
    • Since then, Vy had been detained at the Dak Lak Police Detention Center. But according to Huynh Ngoc Tuan, her father, she was recently transferred to Gia Trung Detention Center on January 28, a facility located in Gia Lai Province. Tuan added that he only learned about the relocation of Vy on February 10, after he went to the Dak Lak Police to give basic necessities to his daughter.
    • According to the latest update on social media from Vy’s father, she called home on February 20. “[Vy’s] health and mentality are in good condition,” Tuan wrote.

    New U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam in a speech vows to promote bilateral relations

    • Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper on February 17 emphasized the relationship between Vietnam and the United States where their cooperation needs to be in five main areas under its new Indo-Pacific Strategy, VnExpress reports.
    • The five points of the new strategy include the pursuit of a free and open Indo-Pacific, expanding cooperation, promoting prosperity, enhancing security, and strengthening the resilience of the region, Knapper said on the sidelines of a conference helping Vietnam resolve the postwar landmines legacy.
    • “The U.S. and Vietnam have a great relationship, developing in all aspects including security, trade, investment, climate change, health, people-to-people diplomacy, energy, science, and technology,” he added.
    • Previously, in a video released by the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi at the start of his new position, Knapper said he is “honored to return to Vietnam” and vowed to “continue the important work our two nations are doing together and to build upon it.”
    • Nonetheless, many human rights advocates expressed their disappointment that the new ambassador had made no mention concerning the human rights problem in Vietnam.
    • Meanwhile, in a co-written letter sent to Ambassador Knapper on January 28, Congresswomen Zoe Lofgren and Anna G. Eshoo, along with five House colleagues, congratulated him on his new position and urged him to prioritize the ongoing human rights issues in Vietnam. “We understand Vietnam and the United States are seeking to build a closer strategic relationship…. Such a relationship, however, cannot come at the expense of human rights and values that the international community upholds,” the letter said.

    The 88 Project highlights concerns over tightening freedom of expression

    “This periodic legal update is The 88 Project’s effort to monitor and document the legal developments related to freedom of expression in Vietnam. Bringing them to light and under the scrutiny of human rights observers will help hold the Vietnamese government accountable in the implementation of the human rights commitment that the authorities have made to their own citizens and to the international community:

    1. Directive 12/CT-TTg (May 2021): The Origin of the COVID national crackdown
    2. Circular 30/2021/TT-BGDĐT (November 2021): Prior Censorship Down to the Kindergarten Level
    3. Decree 86/2021/NĐ-CP (September 2021): A Reminder for Academics Abroad
    4. Decision 2576/QĐ-BVHTTDL (October 2021): “Combatting” Freedom of Religion”

    Vietnam to fully reopen borders in mid-March

    Reuters reports:

    “Vietnam on Wednesday finalized a plan to fully reopen its borders to foreign tourists from next month, as it looks to accelerate its economic recovery and revive a battered tourism sector.

    “The approval is in accordance with the government’s new responses to the pandemic, which are adapting safely and flexibly and controlling the virus effectively,” the government said in a statement.”

    Vietnam Insight: Learn more about Vietnam

    Rising Risks from Cross-ownership between Real Estate Developers and Banks in Vietnam

    ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute/ Tuan Ho, Tuan Huu Nguyen, Trang Thi Ngoc Nguyen, and Tho Ngoc Tran/ February 17

    “Some industry experts have warned about the risks associated with this new form of cross-holdings in the banking system, particularly amid disruptions to the real estate market caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, Le Xuan Nghia, former vice-chairman of the National Financial Supervisory Committee, emphasized that real estate companies serving as “backyards” of commercial banks need special attention from regulators.[12] He pointed out that several real estate developers have weak balance sheets, high debt-to-total asset ratio, and low liquidity ratio, and that their financial position “may be even worse than Evergrande’s”.[13] He also argued that the true picture is blurred by a thick “financial fog”[14] and the common practice of developers using nominees, such as their drivers, housekeepers and security guards, to set up affiliates to get bank loans on their behalf. He warned that if regulators failed to supervise carefully, cases like Evergrande would soon emerge in Vietnam.”

    Girl’s fatal beating spotlights child abuse in Vietnam

    Southeast Asia Globe/ Govi Snell/ February 17

    “The girl’s death brought renewed attention to the prevalence of child abuse in the country. Although progress has been made in protecting Vietnamese children, maltreatment rates remain high. A UNICEF survey found 68.4% of Vietnamese children between 1 and 14-years-old have been victims of domestic violence by their parents or caretakers.”

    Southeast Asian Elite Survey Paints Complex Picture of China Ties

    The Diplomat/ Sebastian Strangio/ February 17

    “Ultimately, the 2022 State of Southeast Asia survey report articulates with a considerable degree of nuance the region’s fraught and ambivalent views of China, which can perhaps best be summed up as “can’t live with it, can’t live without it.” While Southeast Asians are overwhelmingly fearful of Beijing’s growing power and ambition, they are also aware that it is an important economic interlocutor and an unavoidable partner on many of the region’s most pressing issues. Similarly, while the U.S. and other major powers command higher levels of trust and support among the region’s elites, the latter do not share Washington’s often binary framing of U.S.-China competition, and are unlikely to join any coalition organized solely around the goal of containing Chinese power.”

    China and the Fall of South Vietnam: The Last Great Secret of the Vietnam War

    Wilson Center/ George J. Veith/ February 9

    “Why would China militarily intercede to thwart a North Vietnamese victory, especially after years of supporting Hanoi?

    China wanted a neutral South Vietnam to prevent being surrounded by a potential Moscow-Hanoi pact. Nayan Chanda, the highly respected correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic Review, extensively detailed the Chinese dread of a unified Vietnam. He wrote that Beijing has “consistently followed the policy of maintaining by all the means at its disposal a fragmented Indochina free of the major powers. These means included quiet diplomacy, economic persuasion, and, of course, use of its military might.”[ii]”

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  • Vietnam Briefing: Vietnamese Activists Receive Speech Freedom Awards; Vietnam Steps Up Crackdown On NGO

    Vietnam Briefing: Vietnamese Activists Receive Speech Freedom Awards; Vietnam Steps Up Crackdown On NGO

    Source:  The Vietnamese Magazine

    The Vietnam Briefing, which is released every Monday morning Vietnam time, looks at Vietnam’s social and political developments of the past week.

    Pham Doan Trang was awarded the 2022 Canada-United Kingdom Media Freedom Award

    • On February 10, Vietnamese human rights defender and journalist Pham Doan Trang was awarded the 2022 Canada-United Kingdom Media Freedom Award. The result was announced during the third Global Media Freedom Conference in Tallinn, Estonia.
    • Pham Doan Trang spent 434 days in detention before being sentenced to nine years imprisonment for allegedly conducting “anti-state propaganda.” Doan Trang’s family and her lawyers have reportedly not been able to visit her since she was convicted last year.
    • The Media Freedom Award, launched in 2020 at the second Global Conference for Media Freedom, honors and recognizes “the work of those who have defended journalists, or championed media freedom at a local level.” Doan Trang is the second recipient of this award; the Belarusian Association of Journalists received this prestigious prize in 2020.

    Mai Khoi Do Nguyen, a Vietnamese singer and activist, received the Freedom of Speech Award 2022

    • On February 9, Mai Khoi Do Nguyen, a Vietnamese singer and democracy activist, was named one of the laureates in the Four Freedoms Awards 2022, an annual award presented by the Roosevelt Institute. Mai Khoi received the Freedom of Speech award this year for bringing to the forefront “the importance of freedom of expression, social justice and improving the human rights situation in Vietnam,” according to the Four Freedoms’ website.
    • The prizes are awarded each year to the people whose achievements have demonstrated a commitment to the principles presented by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in his historic speech to Congress on January 6, 1941, which were regarded as essential to democracy: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.
    • Upon awarding her the Freedom of Speech Award, the committee added that Mai Khoi “emphasizes the right of everyone to make their own choices,” while she draws public attention to “equal opportunities for women and the LGBTI+ community, gender-based violence, freedom of expression, and the environment.” Furthermore, she also called attention to the Formosa Plastics disaster in 2016 that resulted in environmental damage and which had an economic impact on local fishermen.

    Vietnamese Dominican priest killed while administering the sacrament of confession forgave his murderer

    • Father Joseph Tran Ngoc Thanh, the 41-year-old Vietnamese Dominican priest killed while listening to confessions and celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the diocese of Kon Tum on January 29, forgave his murderer just before he died, according to the missionary news agency Fides.
    • The news was reported to Fides by Msgr. Aloisio Nguyen Hung Vi, the bishop of the diocese of Kon Tum. On February 7, together with other priests, the bishop visited the community of Sa Loong, part of the Dak Mot parish, where Father Joseph Tran Ngoc Thanh carried out his pastoral service and was later murdered, Fides reports.
    • Local police subsequently arrested the murderer, Nguyen Van Kien, and declared he was mentally ill. But several rights groups and individuals blamed the incident on the Vietnamese government for nurturing hostility against religions. This serious incident has nevertheless received scant media coverage in Vietnam.

    Vietnamese environmentalist and NGO founder arrested and prosecuted on “tax evasion” charges

    • State media on February 9 reported that the Hanoi Police investigation department had officially prosecuted Nguy Thi Khanh, a Vietnamese environmentalist and NGO founder, on “tax evasion” charges in accordance with Article 200 of Vietnam’s Penal code.
    • Khanh, the founder of Green Innovation and Development Center (GreenID) and a recipient of the Goldman environmental prize in 2018, was reportedly detained last month, but her detention was only confirmed by state media on February 9. Khanh’s organization had campaigned for Vietnam to adopt greener and more sustainable energy production alternatives while pressuring the government to cut down on fossil fuel-generated energy.
    • She was the latest activist to be prosecuted by the Vietnamese authorities for tax-related crimes. Last month, Dang Dinh Bach, director of the Law and Policy of Sustainable Development Research Center, was sentenced to five years in prison for “tax evasion.” Previously, Mai Phan Loi, a former journalist and the director of the Center for Media in Educating Community, also received four years imprisonment for the same charge.
    • In a 2020 interview with AFP, Khanh acknowledged the risks that her activism brought. “When we got global recognition, these vested interest groups recognized us as their enemy and they are very powerful,” she said.
    • Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, told The Guardian regarding Khanh’s arrest: “Now that Hanoi has finished imprisoning all the political dissidents while the world was distracted by COVID-19, the state’s repressive apparatus is turning on the environmental and social NGOs.”

    Vietnam a ‘country of particular concern,’ US religious freedom agency says

    RFA reports:

    • Despite some improvements, Vietnam remains a “country of particular concern” the 15th consecutive year in terms of allowing its citizens to freely practice their religion, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
    • The commission said a new law adopted in Vietnam in 2018 was a “notable improvement” to a previous ordinance but remains overly restrictive and has been applied unevenly across the country. Meanwhile, Hanoi continued cracking down on unregistered independent religious groups and publicly labeled many as “bizarre or wrong.”
    • “Authorities continued to actively persecute independent religious minority communities, including Protestant Hmong and Montagnard Christians, Hoa Hao Buddhists, the Unified Buddhists, Cao Dai followers, Catholics and Falun Gong practitioners,” the report said.
    • “Ethnic minority communities faced especially egregious persecution for the peaceful practice of their faith, including physical assault, banishment, detention, imprisonment, and forced renunciation of faith,” it added.

    Former journalist prosecuted for “defaming provincial police leaders”

    • Doan Tu Tan, a 40-year-old former journalist, was prosecuted on February 5 for “abusing democratic freedom to infringe on state and individuals’ legal rights,” state media reported.
    • According to the police, Tan allegedly used several untraceable phone numbers to send hoax messages to leaders in Bac Giang Province, spreading rumors and accusing the police heads of the local Luc Ngan District of wrongdoings. The police concluded that Tan’s messages were “defamatory and slanderous” of the local police leaders.
    • The former journalist was previously convicted and sentenced to three-year imprisonment for “receiving bribes” and is currently awaiting the execution of his sentence. There is no clear evidence that Tan’s accusations about police officials had any correlation to his previous conviction.

    Le Chi Thanh, the former policeman, appealed his conviction of “resisting law enforcement officers”

    • Le Chi Thanh, a former policeman who was sentenced to two-years in prison for “resisting law enforcement officers on duty,” has filed an appeal against the Thu Duc court’s verdict, his lawyer Dang Dinh Manh told RFA Vietnamese on February 10.
    • Attorney Manh added that Thanh had also been prosecuted for another charge of “abusing democratic freedom” by the investigative unit of Binh Thuan Police Department. Thanh used to be a correctional officer in the Binh Thuan Province Police Department, where he accused its leaders of corruption and other wrongdoings.
    • Thanh is expected to be transferred to Binh Thuan after his appeal trial, according to attorney Manh. His appeal hearing date has not been announced yet.

    Vietnam warns of hospitals strain as COVID-19 cases spike after the holiday

    Reuters reports:

    “Vietnam warned on Thursday that its healthcare system could become overloaded, after seeing a surge in new daily coronavirus infections following its week-long Lunar New Year holiday.

    The Southeast Asian country reported nearly 24,000 new cases on Wednesday, compared to about 15,000 per day in the week before the annual holiday, when millions of people traveled to their rural homes and to tourist hotspots.

    “Increased traveling will lead to the risk of more infections among the community, including the risk of spreading the Omicron variant,” the health ministry said in a statement.”

    Vietnam Releases Guidance on Implementation of COP26 Commitments

    Mayer Brown:

    “At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in November 2021 (COP26), Vietnam’s prime minister announced that the country would target achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and phase out coal power generation by 2040.

    As a follow-up to this announcement, on 30 January 2022 the Vietnam government issued Notice no. 30/TB-VPCP identifying the following eight areas of focus for implementing Vietnam’s COP26 commitments:

    1. conversion from fossil fuel to green/clean energy sources;
    2. reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in various sectors/industries;
    3. reduction of methane emissions, especially in agriculture and waste management sectors;
    4. R&D and use of electric vehicles;
    5. sustainable management, use of existing forests, and increase of afforestation for carbon absorption;
    6. R&D and use of construction materials and urban development for sustainable and green development;
    7. public relations campaigns directed at the public and business communities to enhance awareness and support for the government’s implementation of COP26 commitments; and
    8. acceleration of digital (economy) conversion for climate change.”

    Vietnam Insight: Learn more about Vietnam

    Prospects and challenges for Vietnam’s economy in 2022

    East Asia Forum/ David Dapice/ February 11

    “The big question now is if these developments will tarnish Vietnam’s hard-won reputation as a reliable supplier and alternative to China for manufactured exports? Despite factory closures, exports rose 19 percent in 2021 to an astonishing US$336 billion — while GDP was only US$271 billion in 2020 and grew only slightly in 2021. The high level of foreign direct investment (FDI) did not grow nor shrink much. The rapid increase in vaccinations — about 60 percent fully vaccinated by early 2022 — suggests that factory closures will be modest in 2022.

    But labour shortages may be more of a problem, as workers fear another round of factory closures and travel restrictions. There were troubles hiring even in 2019 as labour force growth slowed. Global pressures to reduce risk and increase resilience in supply chains are another headwind. While the momentum of past FDI commitments will keep export growth high in 2022, there are questions about later years.”

    The Biden Administration and Southeast Asia: One Year in Review

    ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute/ Hoang Thi Ha, Ian Storey/ February 11

    “The Biden administration’s record in Southeast Asia was also mixed, though generally positive. Due to the above-mentioned priorities, Washington’s engagement with the region was slow to start, causing much frustration in Southeast Asian capitals. In the second half of the year, however, momentum picked up as a flurry of senior officials visited the region, and culminated in a virtual US-ASEAN Summit and an American president’s full attendance at the East Asia Summit for the first time since President Barack Obama in 2016.”

    Why Won’t Vietnam Teach the History of the Sino-Vietnamese War?

    The Diplomat/ Travis Vincent/ February 9

    “According to Professor Tuong Vu from the University of Oregon, the Sino-Vietnamese war still divides Hanoi’s leadership today. One faction puts the blame on Le Duan, a former party leader known for being anti-China, while the other faction believes the party was wrong all along for having trusted China too much.

    “Allowing any discussion of the war threatens to deepen that rift and the survival of the party and would expose the mistakes of party leadership,” Vu said via email. “Teaching children about this war might over time create public pressure that forces the party to move away from China and closer to the U.S., which it does not want to.”

    Inequity and corruption taint Vietnam’s return to international travel

    Southeast Asia Globe/ Govi Snell/ February 3

    “Despite the easing of restrictions, some are still frustrated by the inequity: the high cost of entry, often fueled by corruption, turned travel to the country into a luxury. Further, while travel restrictions aligned with the government’s ‘Zero-Covid’ policy, once cases of the virus ballooned in the summer of 2021 the continued barriers felt increasingly unreasonable.”

    Rhino horns pierce a wall between crime and affluence in Vietnam

    Southeast Asia Globe/ Govi Snell/ January 19

    “Among the target rhino users in the country – rich, middle-aged individuals – Nam sees very little stigma and low perception of risk for using the illegal product. The government focuses on making big seizures of illegal wildlife products rather than seeking out and punishing consumers, he stated. The combined factors make lowering demand for rhino horn difficult.”

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