3 NOVEMBER 2019
Why Vietnam Can’t Stop Risky Migration to Richer Countries
The discovery by police in southeastern England quickly cast attention on human trafficking from Vietnam to Europe where incomes are higher. Several arrests have been made in the United Kingdom, and one man was charged with conspiracy to traffic people
https://www.newdelhitimes.com/why-vietnam-cant-stop-risky-migration-to-richer-countries/
8 OCTOBER 2019
Vietnamese activist arrested for criticising Communist government on Facebook
Human rights groups have called for the immediate release of a Vietnamese activist arrested for criticising one-party Communist rule on his Facebook page
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/08/vietnamese-activist-arrested-for-criticising-communist-government-on-facebook
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/facebook-arrrest-09302019170626.html
2 SEPTEMBER 2019
Vietnam commemorating 50 years since Ho Chi Minh death
Ho Chi Minh is still revered in Vietnam, seen as the man who brought independence to the country
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/vietnams-ho-chi-minh-commemorating-50-years-death-190902122320416.html
https://vietnamnews.vn/politics-laws/534833/national-ceremony-marks-50-years-implementing-late-presidents-testament.html#J1W63F8pvVE7vIu4.97
23 AUGUST 2019
Citizens are speaking out in Vietnam
Before the mid-1990s, Vietnamese citizens rarely openly voiced discontent about working conditions, government policies or other political issues. They whispered their concerns to confidants and acted on them only surreptitiously. Such everyday resistance still occurs. But more remarkable today, people are also speaking out publicly
https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2019/08/23/citizens-are-speaking-out-in-vietnam/
24 JUNE 2019
American jailed in Vietnam for 12 years for ‘attempting to overthrow state’
A court in Vietnam has sentenced a US citizen to 12 years in prison after finding him guilty of “attempting to overthrow the state”, the man’s lawyer said
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/american-jailed-in-vietnam-for-12-years-for-attempting-to-overthrow-state
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/06/vietnam-jails-man-12-years-overthrow-state-190624082305389.html
14 JUNE 2019
Southeast Asian VCs pledge $425m in investments for early-stage startups in Vietnam
Venture capital firms from across Southeast Asia have pledged to collectively invest roughly US$425 million into early-stage startups in Vietnam by 2020, according to a statement
https://www.techinasia.com/southeast-asian-vcs-pledge-425m-investments-earlystage-startups-vietnam
10 JUNE 2019
Hanoi is the winner in the US-China trade war
Vietnam is the big winner in trade war between the United States and China. According to economists, this year the country’s economy will grow at a faster pace than all other Southeast Asian economies
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Hanoi-is-the-winner-in-the-US-China-trade-war-47244.html
8 JUNE 2019
Việt Nam economy to grow at 6.7%: report
The Vietnamese economy is expected to grow at around 6.7 per cent this year, the fastest rate in South East Asia, according to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales’ recent Economic Insight: South East Asia report
http://bizhub.vn/news/viet-nam-economy-to-grow-at-67-report_306346.html
6 JUNE 2019
Vietnam blogger jailed for six years for Facebook posts calling for peaceful protests
Nguyen Ngoc Anh, a shrimp farming engineer, was sentenced to six years in jail for “making, storing, disseminating or propagandising materials and products that aim to oppose the state of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam”, related to a series of Facebook posts from last year
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/07/vietnam-blogger-jailed-for-six-years-for-facebook-posts-calling-for-peaceful-protests
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/nguyen-ngoc-anh-06062019163754.html
14 MAY 2019
At least 128 prisoners of conscience in Vietnam: Amnesty
The number of prisoners of conscience in Vietnam has risen by a third over the past year amid a continuing crackdown on freedom of expression in the Southeast Asian nation, Amnesty International has said
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/128-prisoners-conscience-vietnam-amnesty-190513034714570.html
11 MAY 2019
Vietnam jails two activists for ‘spreading propaganda’ on Facebook
A Vietnamese court has jailed two activists on charges of publishing damaging anti-state propaganda about the communist-run country, state media reported Saturday, the latest convictions under a hardline leadership intolerant of dissent
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/vietnam-jails-two-activists-for-spreading-propaganda-on-facebook
22 APRIL 2019
Vietnamese ex-president Le Duc Anh who ousted Khmer Rouge dies, aged 99
General Le Duc Anh, a Communist Party hardliner and former Vietnamese president who led the invasion of Cambodia which led to the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime, has died aged 99
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/vietnamese-ex-president-le-duc-anh-who-ousted-khmer-rouge-dies-aged-99
https://vietnamnews.vn/politics-laws/519014/former-president-le-duc-anh-dies-aged-99.html#5hYYPjrVTItKZQoX.97
27 MARCH 2019
Vietnam’s Hmong Christians are persecuted for their beliefs. Why does their faith make the government so uneasy?
There are an estimated 300,000 Hmong Christians living in Vietnam
https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3003490/vietnams-hmong-christians-are-persecuted-their-beliefs-why
20 MARCH 2019
Vietnam Court Jails Activist For 2 Years Over Facebook Posts
A court in the southern Vietnamese district of Binh Thuy sentenced activist and Facebook commentator Le Minh The to two years in prison for “dividing the people from the (Communist) Party
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/facebook-sentence-03202019165210.html
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/vietnam-dissident-jailed-for–reactionary–facebook-posts-11363326
13 MARCH 2019
Repression and abuse behind Vietnam’s peace facade
In a discreet downtown Hanoi bar, while waiting to meet a Vietnamese activist, this correspondent received a telling WhatsApp message: “I’m followed by the security forces.”
https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/02/article/repression-and-abuse-behind-vietnams-peace-facade/
25 JANUARY 2019
Chau Van Kham, Australian citizen and pro-democracy activist, detained in Vietnam
Australian authorities have confirmed Australian citizen and pro-democracy activist Chau Van Kham has been detained in Vietnam
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-25/australian-citizen-reportedly-detained-in-vietnam/10749852?section=world
https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/2183581/days-after-yang-hengjuns-australian-democracy-activist-chau
20 JANUARY 2019
Vietnam’s Politburo clamps down
Trong is the first leader in a long time to make headway toward restoring the party’s image. Two years ago, the Vietnam Communist Party endorsed a list of 27 deviations, including not only ‘opportunism’ but also the notion that the Vietnamese party-state could ever evolve into a pluralist democracy. A soft purge of tainted cadres is well underway
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2019/01/20/vietnams-politburo-clamps-down/#more-165550
12 JANUARY 2019
More than 6 million Vietnamese are disabled
About 13 per cent of the Vietnamese population, or almost 12 million people, live in households with disabled members. As few as 2.3 per cent of disabled people have access to rehabilitation services in case of illness or accident. Only 2 per cent of the country’s primary and secondary schools meet the needs of disabled pupils
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/More-than-6-million-Vietnamese-are-disabled-45952.html
31 DECEMBER 2018
Stability tests abound for Vietnam
Leader Nguyen Phu Trong will need to show his power grab is leading the nation in the right political, economic and diplomatic directions
http://www.atimes.com/article/stability-tests-abound-for-vietnam/?utm_source=The+Daily+Report&utm_campaign=b3d6bb9fc5-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_12_31_11_54&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1f8bca137f-b3d6bb9fc5-31591405
27 DECEMBER 2018
Vietnam posts decade-high growth of 7.1% in 2018
Vietnam’s growth soared to more than 7 per cent this year, its highest in a decade, helped by a surge in its manufacturing sector
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/vietnam-posts-decade-high-growth-of-7-1–in-2018-11067344
https://www.vietnambreakingnews.com/2018/12/pm-phuc-highlights-this-years-gdp-growth-rate-of-7-08/
23 OCTOBER 2018
New Vietnam president sworn in after 99.8% vote
Vietnam lawmakers on Tuesday (Oct 23) elected as president Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong, the only candidate on the ballot, making him the most powerful man in the country where consensus leadership has traditionally kept strongman rule in check
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/new-vietnam-president-tran-dai-quang-10856158
https://www.foxnews.com/world/vietnam-parliament-elects-communist-party-chief-as-president
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181024_05/
17 OCTOBER 2018
Vietnamese Blogger Mother Mushroom Released, Exiled to US
Vietnamese blogger and activist Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh-known by her blogger handle Me Nam, or Mother Mushroom- was freed from jail Wednesday and put on a flight to the United States
https://www.vietnamtribune.com/news/258139145/vietnamese-blogger-mother-mushroom-released-exiled-to-us
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/dissident-vietnamese-blogger-mother-mushroom-released-181017100207668.html
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/vietnam-renowned-blogger-mother-mushroom-released-under-condition-exile
5 OCTOBER 2018
Five activists senteced up to 15 years’ jail for attempted subversion in Vietnam
A court in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City sentenced five activists to up to 15 years in prison on Friday after finding them guilty of running a political group that worked to overthrow the country’s one-party communist rule
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-6243831/Vietnam-jails-5-activists-attempted-subversion.html
https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2167235/five-activists-face-15-years-jail-attempted-subversion
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/vietnam-five-more-jailed-relentless-crackdown-freedom-speech
3 OCTOBER 2018
Vietnam party chief Nguyen Phu Trong nominated for Presidential post
All members of the 12th Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee have agreed to nominate General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng as a candidate for the post of President, to be elected later this month
http://www.atimes.com/article/all-of-vietnams-power-is-in-trongs-hands/
1 OCTOBER 2018
Former Party General Secretary Do Muoi passes away
https://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/government/209403/former-party-general-secretary-do-muoi-passes-away.html
https://en.vietnamplus.vn/special-communique-on-former-party-chief-do-muois-passing-away/139438.vnp
21 SEPTEMBER 2018
Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang dies after ‘serious illness’
In office as president since April 2016 after more than four decades at the powerful Ministry of Public Security, Quang had a reputation as a tough leader with little tolerance for dissent
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/09/vietnam-president-tran-dai-quang-dies-illness-180921051238229.html
http://www.atimes.com/article/quang-dies-and-a-vacuum-opens-in-vietnam/?utm_source=The+Daily+Report&utm_campaign=d5b7bf379f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_09_21_10_45&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1f8bca137f-d5b7bf379f-31591405
19 SEPTEMBER 2018
Vietnam jails retired teacher for 14 years for ‘attempted subversion’
A retired teacher was jailed Wednesday for 14 years for “attempting to overthrow the state”, the latest in a series of convictions this week as communist Vietnam cracks down harder on critics
https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2164916/vietnam-jails-retired-teacher-14-years-attempted-subversion
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/subversion-09192018143141.html
16 SEPTEMBER 2018
Why Mai Khoi, Vietnam’s Lady Gaga, performs in secret in her country
In Vietnam, where the Communist Party rules with an iron fist, Mai Khoi has used lyrics to combine themes of resistance and protest
https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2164407/why-mai-khoi-vietnams-lady-gaga-performs-secret-her-country
Vietnam imprisons 12 people, including two Americans, charged with subversion
Vietnam on Wednesday jailed two American citizens and 10 others from an outlawed US-based “terrorist” group for attempting to overthrow the state after they spread anti-government leaflets and tried to incite protests last year
https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2160744/vietnam-puts-12-people-trial-alleged-subversion
http://english.thesaigontimes.vn/62184/court-hands-down-tough-sentences-on-12-individuals-in-subversion-attempt.html
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/vietnam-jails-two-vietnamese-americans-for-14-years-over-bomb-attacks
12 AUGUST 2018
Vietnam communist war hero turned dissident Bui Tin dies aged 90
A Vietnamese former colonel and revolutionary war hero who became disillusioned with the communist regime and defected, becoming one of its most vocal and influential critics, died in France at age 90
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/vietnam-communist-war-hero-turned-dissident-bui-tin-dies-aged-90-10610940
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uy5VEYP6mw
https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/bui-tin/487379/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/22/bui-tin-obituary
19 JULY 2018
State-run Vietnamese news website suspended by Vietnamese state
The website of widely-read Vietnamese newspaper Tuổi Trẻ has been banned from publishing content for three months and fined US$10,000 after being accused by the government of publishing false information
https://asiancorrespondent.com/2018/07/tuoi-tre-online-vietnam-news-website-suspended/#qMDTgoiPK3oHuB2V.99
https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20180717/vietnam-ministry-suspends-tuoi-tre-online/46716.html
12 JUNE 2018
Vietnam Parliament passes cyber law denounced in street protests
Vietnam’s National Assembly has passed a cyber security law requiring companies such as Alphabet Inc’s Google and Facebook Inc to store all data of Vietnam-based users in the country and open local offices
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/vietnam-parliament-passes-cyber-law-denounced-in-street-protests
http://blog.vietnam-aujourdhui.info/post/2018/06/12/Vietnam-parliament-passes-cyber-law-denounced-in-street-protests
http://sea-globe.com/vietnams-new-cybersecurity-law-deemed-human-rights-abuse/
8 JUNE 2018
Vietnam expels dissident lawyer to Germany
Nguyen Van Dai, a longtime advocate for democracy, has been released from prison. He has flown to Germany, where he was awarded a human rights prize last year
http://www.dw.com/en/vietnam-expels-dissident-lawyer-to-germany/a-44121266
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2149963/vietnam-kicks-out-human-rights-lawyer-and-another-dissident
http://blog.vietnam-aujourdhui.info/post/2018/06/08/Vietnam-expels-dissident-human-rights-lawyer
4 JUNE 2018
Vietnam upholds sentence for prominent human rights activists
A Vietnamese court on Monday upheld prison sentences against four human rights campaigners convicted of attempting to overthrow the state, a lawyer said
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/06/04/563894/Vietnam-court-human-rights-campaigners-prison-jury
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/video-gallery.htm?vid=1399895
30 APRIL 2018
Vietnam’s Trong Cleans Out the Party
5 APRIL 2018
Vietnam ‘jails prominent human rights lawyer’ Nguyen Van Dai
Nguyen Van Dai, the Vietnamese human rights lawyer and activist, has been jailed for 15 years, along with five other activists who have been given prison terms of 7-12 years
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/04/vietnam-jails-prominent-human-rights-lawyer-nguyen-van-dai-180405160020661.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43659830
https://en.vietnamplus.vn/six-jailed-for-trying-to-overthrow-peoples-administration/129123.vnp
27 MARCH 2018
Vietnam dissident singer Mai Khoi detained at Hanoi airport after Europe tour
Vietnamese singer and activist Do Nguyen Mai Khoi, an outspoken campaigner for free speech, was detained in the capital Hanoi on Tuesday after flying home from Europe, her husband said
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2139104/vietnam-dissident-singer-mai-khoi-detained-hanoi-airport
http://blog.vietnam-aujourdhui.info/post/2018/03/27/Vietnamese-pop-star-held-in-crackdown-on-dissent
17 MARCH 2018
Vietnam’s reformist ex-PM Phan Van Khai dies at age 84
Khai was the architect of Vietnam’s Business Law that transformed the economy by creating a private sector. He was also Vietnam’s first post-war leader to pay an official visit to Washington
http://www.dw.com/en/vietnams-reformist-ex-pm-phan-van-khai-dies-at-age-84/a-43020787
https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/politics/20180317/former-vietnamese-premier-phan-van-khai-dies-aged-85/44577.html
http://vietnamnews.vn/politics-laws/424640/state-funeral-for-former-pm-phan-van-khai.html#o16ToGKzh2HbtzmD.97
1 MARCH 2018
Vietnamese activist Pham Doan Trang interrogated for pro-democracy book in hiding after ‘miracle’ escape
Former journalist Pham Doan Trang said she was held for questioning for several hours on Saturday over her most recent work Politics for the Masses, which is outlawed in the country
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2135331/vietnamese-activist-interrogated-pro-democracy-book-hiding
6 FEBRUARY 2018
Vietnamese activist Hoang Duc Binh jailed for 14 years for live-streaming protest against steel plant’s pollution
A court in central Vietnam sentenced an activist to 14 years in jail on Tuesday for live-streaming fishermen marching to file a lawsuit against a Taiwan-owned steel plant’s spill of toxins into the ocean
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2132288/vietnamese-activist-jailed-14-years-live-streaming-protest
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Blogger-Ho%C3%A0ng-%C4%90%E1%BB%A9c-Binh-sentenced-to-14-years-in-prison-43030.html
22 JANUARY 2018
Improving relations between Hanoi and the Vatican. Msgr.Camilleri on a pastoral visit
The visit to Vietnam by the undersecretary of the Section for Relations with States of the Vatican Secretariat of State, Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, (January 16-20), testifies to the progress of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Hanoi.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Improving-relations-between-Hanoi-and-the-Vatican.-Msgr.Camilleri-on-a-pastoral-visit-42895.html
Vietnam jails most senior Communist Party official in decades
Former Politburo member Dinh La Thang was found guilty of economic mismanagement over losses in state oil firm PetroVietnam
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42770847
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180123_06/
29 DECEMBER 2917
Nine jailed in Vietnam for ‘attempt to overthrow state’
A Vietnamese court has jailed nine people for “attempting to overthrow the state”, official media reported on Friday (Dec 29), the latest heavy sentence doled out in a harsh crackdown this year against activists in the one-party state
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/nine-jailed-in-vietnam-for-attempt-to-overthrow-state
http://www.vietnamtribune.com/news/255893239/dozens-sentenced-in-vietnam-bombing-subversion-trials
27 DECEMBER 2017
Vietnam unveils 10,000-strong cyber unit to combat ‘wrong views’
Vietnam has unveiled a new, 10,000-strong military cyber warfare unit to counter “wrong” views on the Internet, local media reported, amid a widening crackdown on critics of the one-party state
http://www.asiaone.com/asia/vietnam-unveils-10000-strong-cyber-unit-combat-wrong-views
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-42494113
https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/politics/20171226/vietnam-has-10000strong-cyber-troop-general/43326.html
4 DECEMBER 2017
Vietnam emerges as crucial player in South East Asia
Economy is enjoying one of the fastest growth rates in Asia as both China and the US look to firm up ties
https://www.thenational.ae/business/economy/vietnam-emerges-as-crucial-player-in-south-east-asia-1.681381
8 NOVEMBER 2017
Ahead of APEC Summit, 17 NGOs appeal for activists held by Hanoi
A group of 17 non-governmental organizations have written a joint letter calling on leaders who are gathering this week to take part in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to exert pressure on host nation Vietnam to release detained bloggers and human rights activists
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Ahead-of-APEC-Summit,-17-NGOs-appeal-for-activists-held-by-Hanoi-42260.html
6 OCTOBER 2017
Party chief of Da Nang relieved of post, removed from powerful Communist Party of Vietnam central committee
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam has dismissed the Party chief of Da Nang from his post and eliminated him from the committee for violating principle, including using invalid degrees and accepting cars and houses from businesses
http://tuoitrenews.vn/news/politics/20171006/party-chief-of-da-nang-relieved-of-post-removed-from-powerful-central-committee/41936.html
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/vietnam-sacks-top-communist-official
29 SEPTEMBER 2017
Vietnam court sentences to death PetroVietnam ex-chairman in mass trial
A Vietnam court sentenced to death a former chairman of state-run PetroVietnam on Friday after finding him guilty in the mass trial of 51 officials and bankers accused of graft and mismanagement that led to losses of US$69 million (£51.43 million)
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/vietnam-court-sentences-to-death-petrovietnam-ex-chairman-in-mass-trial-9262556
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4932126/Vietnam-ex-banker-sentenced-death-fraud-saga.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
29 JUNE 2017
Vietnam blogger ‘Mother Mushroom’ jailed for 10 years
A prominent Vietnamese blogger known as ‘Mother Mushroom’ was jailed for 10 years on Thursday (June 29), her lawyer said, during a brief trial rights groups decried as “outrageous”
http://www.vietnamtribune.com/news/253782406/vietnam-blogger-gets-10-yr-sentence-for-conducting-propaganda
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/vietnam-blogger-mother-mushroom-jailed-for-10-years
25 JUNE 2017
Hanoi Expels French-Vietnamese Professor and Government Critic Pham Minh Hoang
French-Vietnamese professor Pham Minh Hoang has been deported to Paris, according to his wife and supporters of the former political prisoner
http://www.vietnamtribune.com/news/253730354/hanoi-expels-french-vietnamese-professor-and-government-critic
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40398096
21 JUNE 2017
Report: Vietnamese activists under constant threat of violence
An alarming new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) details dozens of violent assaults on rights activists and bloggers in Vietnam. State security services are also implicated in contributing to violent repression
http://www.dw.com/en/report-vietnamese-activists-under-constant-threat-of-violence/a-39349703
8 MAY 2017
Ho Chi Minh City’s top leader removed from Vietnam’s Politburo
The Ho Chi Minh City Party chief Dinh La Thang has been warned and dismissed from the Politburo of the Party Central Committee for multiple financial wrongdoings he had committed when leading Vietnam’s oil and gas behemoth
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/government/177936/dinh-la-thang-disciplined-for-misdeeds-at-petrovietnam.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39840943
19 APRIL 2017
Fighting corruption in Vietnam requires institutional reform
The first half of 2016 saw Vietnam’s fight against corruption gain new momentum. Having consolidated his power after being re-elected as Secretary-General of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), Nguyen Phu Trong issued resolutions and directives aimed at tightening party members’ ethical conduct
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2017/04/19/fighting-corruption-in-vietnam-requires-institutional-reform/
29 DECEMBER 2016
Vietnam economy propelled by manufacturing and building boom
Vietnam’s economy is estimated to grow 6.2 percent in 2016, propelled by a manufacturing and building boom
http://www.asiapacificstar.com/index.php/sid/250506629
2 DECEMBER 2016
Is Vietnam’s new religion law a smokescreen for political repression?
A controversial law on religion passed in Vietnam has triggered renewed fears of state repression in the name of national unity
http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2051224/vietnams-new-religion-law-smokescreen-political-repression
29 NOVEMBER 2016
Vietnam vows full speed ahead with economic reforms, with or without the TPP
As Donald Trump prepares to kill the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 12-nation trade pact is helping to spur the biggest overhaul of Vietnam’s economy in décades
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2050035/vietnam-vows-full-speed-ahead-economic-reforms-or-without
15 NOVEMBER 2016
Alert: No wives for 4 million Vietnamese men
Some four million men in Vietnam will have no opportunity of getting married by 2050 if the current imbalance in the nation’s sex ratio persists, said experts
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/alert-no-wives-4-million-vietnamese-men
4 OCTOBER 2016
Vietnam War propaganda broadcaster ‘Hanoi Hannah’ dies
Silky-voiced communist propaganda broadcaster “Hanoi Hannah”, famous for urging American GIs to leave her country during the Vietnam War, has died at age 87, friends said Tuesday
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2024988/vietnam-war-propaganda-broadcaster-hanoi-hannah-dies
23 AUGUST 2016
Vietnam’s New Prime Minister Quietly Turns the Wheels of Economic Reform
Phuc took office in the shadow of a highly charismatic predecessor — former prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung. With a focus on straightforward, practical economic measures, the new government has quietly embarked on a series of promising reforms
http://cogitasia.com/vietnams-new-prime-minister-quietly-turns-the-wheels-of-economic-reform/
25 JULY 2016
Tran Dai Quang re-elected as President
The swearing-in ceremony took place soon after the voting result came in, of which 485 out of 487 members of the newly-elected National Assembly voted for Trần Đại Quang to become the next President
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/government/161022/tran-dai-quang-re-elected-as-president.html
http://vietnamnews.vn/politics-laws/300112/tran-dai-quang-sworn-in-as-president.html#JK8SO5JKEWF1DwFr.99
17 JULY 2016
Vietnamese authorities stop anti-China protest in Hanoi
Dozen of Vietnamese who gathered for an anti-China protest in central Hanoi were taken away by police as they tried to rally support for an international tribunal’s ruling rejecting Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea
https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/07/south-china-sea-vietnam-police-detain-dozens-protesters-hanoi/
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/vietnam-detains-activists-after-south-china-sea-ruling-0
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1990913/down-china-invasion-vietnam-detains-activists-after-south
27 JUNE 2016
Top Chinese envoy visits Vietnam as South China Sea tension rises
China`s top diplomat met Vietnam`s leadership on Monday during a scheduled visit aimed at strengthening historically close relations at a time when ties are strained by squabbles over the South China Sea
http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/top-chinese-envoy-visits-vietnam-as-south-china-sea-tension-rises_1900802.html
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20160627_34/
22 MAY 2016
Vietnam launches parliamentary election
More than 69.2 million Vietnamese are set to cast votes to elect members of the national and local legislative bodies in the country’s biggest-ever general election on Sunday
http://www.thanhniennews.com/politics/vietnam-launches-parliamentary-election-62417.html
http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/vietnam-parliamentary-elections-starts-116052200052_1.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-20/vietnam-national-assembly-elections-plagued-by-bias/7430010
20 MAY 2016
Vietnam Releases Prominent Dissident Ahead of Obama Visit
Family members of dissident Catholic priest Nguyen Van Ly, who has spent much of the last two decades either in jail or under house arrest for advocating democratic reforms in the Southeast Asian country, confirmed his release, which occurred around 8 a.m. local time.
http://www.vietnamtribune.com/index.php/sid/244261471
7 APRIL 2016
Nguyen Xuan Phuc elected Vietnam’s PM
Vietnam elected Thursday a new Prime Minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, to lead the emerging economy as it comes under increasing pressure to reform a scandal hit state-owned sector and banking system
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/nguyen-xuan-phuc-elected/2672918.html
http://www.dw.com/en/new-prime-minister-rounds-out-vietnams-leadership-trio/a-19170482
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2016-04-07/vietnam-elects-new-prime-minister-nguyen-xuan-phuc/1566998
6 APRIL 2016
Vietnam’s assembly ‘dismisses’ prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung
Vietnam’s prime minister has stepped down after 10 years in office, leaving behind a mixed legacy of promoting failed state enterprises, but at the same time attracting foreign investment and daring to challenge China
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/04/vietnam-assembly-dismisses-prime-minister-160406133834975.html
http://www.chinadailyasia.com/asia/2016-04/06/content_15411576.html
2 APRIL 2016
Vietnam parliament swears in top policeman Tran Dai Quang as president
Vietnam’s parliament swore in Tran Dai Quang as president on Saturday (April 2), elevating the head of a controversial internal security agency to one of the communist nation’s most powerful political posts
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/vietnam-parliament-swears-top-policeman-president
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20160402_23/
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/government/154422/new-president-vows-to-fulfill-assigned-tasks.html
31 MARCH 2016
Vietnam names first chairwoman of National Assembly
Veteran lawmaker and senior Communist Party official Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan was elected with 95.5 percent of votes after a poll in the country’s 500-strong legislative body early Thursday, state-run VTV said.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/vietnam-names-first-chairwoman-national-assembly-053035894.html
http://www.thanhniennews.com/politics/vietnam-has-first-chairwoman-of-parliament-60751.html
25 MARCH 2016
The Truth About ‘Democracy’ in Vietnam Today
Contrary to some accounts, democracy exists in name only in the country ahead of upcoming legislative polls
http://thediplomat.com/2016/03/the-truth-about-democracy-in-vietnam-today/
23 MARCH 2016
Protests in Vietnam as prominent blogger goes on trial
A prominent Vietnamese blogger was handed a five-year jail term on Wednesday (Mar 23) on anti-state charges, a heavy sentence that was roundly condemned by lawyers and media watchdogs as a “travesty of justice”
http://worldaffairsjournal.org/content/protests-vietnam-prominent-blogger-goes-trial
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/protests-vietnam-prominent-blogger-goes-trial
17 MARCH 2016
Vietnam’s ‘Lady Gaga’ joins groups of dissidents and activists running for parliament
Vietnamese pop star Mai Khoi, dubbed “Vietnam’s Lady Gaga” for her risqué outfits, is running for parliament along with a group of dissidents and activists
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2016-03-17/vietnams-lady-gaga-joins-groups-of-dissidents-and-activists-running-for-parliament/1559992
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/vietnam/12196698/Vietnams-Lady-Gaga-aims-for-switch-from-pop-to-politics-in-challenge-to-staid-communist-rule.html
11 FEBRUARY 2016
Vietnam’s uphill battle against corruption
Since 1994, the party has consistently identified corruption as a major threat to the survival of the regime. Although the CPV adopted anti-corruption laws 10 years ago, the party still combats corruption among its members through so-called self-criticism campaign to ‘alert, warn and deter’ corrupt officials
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2016/02/11/vietnams-uphill-battle-against-corruption/
28 JANUARY 2016
Vietnam’s Communist Party unveils new leadership at 12th National Congress
Re-elected General-Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong pledged to maintain a pro-growth status quo that balances foreign ties and cements a consensus leadership that analysts say was strained by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s assertiveness in the latter years of his administration
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2016-01-28/vietnams-communist-party-unveils-new-leadership-at-12th-national-congress/1541069
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/government/150588/structure-of-12th-party-central-committee.html
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20160128_24.html
27 JANUARY 2016
Vietnam Communist Party boss Nguyen Phu Trong re-elected
Mr Trong, who is 71 and effectively the most powerful man in Vietnam, was the only candidate nominated. He is seen as a conservative and closer to China.
http://news.yahoo.com/vietnam-communist-party-chief-poised-elected-055807339.html
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20160127_35.html
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/government/150619/mr–nguyen-phu-trong-re-elected-party-secretary-general.html
25 JANUARY 2016
Vietnam PM Nguyen Tan Dung pulls out of party boss race
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has withdrawn from the contest to lead the ruling Communist Party.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35401259
24 JANUARY 2016
Vietnam’s Communist Party boss ‘to run unopposed’
The General Secretary of Vietnam’s Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, will be the only candidate for the post at a party congress, state media report.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35394333
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/vietnam-party-chief/2453276.html
21 JANUARY 2016
Vietnam’s Communist Party meets to pick new leaders
The 12th national congress of Vietnam’s Communist Party opened on Thursday morning, which will see the election of a new Central Committee and outline the country’s next socio-economic plan.
http://www.dw.com/en/vietnams-communist-party-meets-to-pick-new-leaders/a-18995037
19 JANUARY 2016
Viet congress will see fight for top post
Vietnam’s five-yearly Communist Party Congress opens tomorrow with a fierce contest expected as Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung challenges current party chief Nguyen Phu Trong for the top post
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/viet-congress-will-see-fight-top-post
14 JANUARY 2016
Vietnam’s Leadership Succession Struggle
While Vietnamese vary in their political perspectives, there is a broad desire among them for the country’s politics to be liberated from unaccountable politics dominated by entrenched elites. Whether the 12th party congress brings that outcome closer remains to be seen.
http://thediplomat.com/2016/01/vietnams-leadership-succession-struggle/
11 JANUARY 2016
Party Central Committee’s 14th meeting opens
The 14th meeting of the 11th Party Central Committee opened in Hanoi on January 11, scheduled to discuss the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement and finalise personnel preparations for the next tenure
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/government/149893/party-central-committee-s-14th-meeting-opens.html
6 JANUARY 2016
Fast-growing Vietnamese economy going blue
Being one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and having the potential to be one of the great success stories in development, Vietnam should pursue high growth through sustainable development, especially through blue economy, foreign experts say
http://www.asiapacificstar.com/index.php/nav/newsr/6860
29 DECEMBER 2015
US Ambassador to Vietnam Dismayed About Detentions of Dissidents
The U.S. ambassador to Vietnam on Tuesday expressed concern about recent reports of harassment and detentions of human rights advocates, including the recent arrest of a prominent rights advocate in the repressive Southeast Asian country
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/us-ambassador-to-vietnam-dismayed-about-detentions-of-dissidents-12292015115930.html
13 NOVEMBER 2015
How Will Vietnam’s New Communist Princelings Shape the Country’s Future?
The Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) is preparing a new slate of leaders to replace the old guard who are retiring at the 12th National Congress in 2016. Public attention has been drawn to the rise of young ‘princelings’ — the children of current or former leaders in communist authoritarian regimes like Vietnam and China — to local executive positions and bodies
http://thediplomat.com/2015/11/how-will-vietnams-new-communist-princelings-shape-the-countrys-future/
2 SEPTEMBER 2015
Vietnam marks 70 years since declaring independence from France
Vietnam’s president on Wednesday urged further modernisation of the armed forces in the face of growing maritime territorial disputes as the nation celebrated 70 years since it declared independence from France.
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/vietnam-marks-70-years-declaring-independence-france
29 JULY 2015
David Cameron becomes first British PM to visit Vietnam
Cameron’s trip will take in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon, almost 40 years after the US ignominiously pulled out in April 1975 and left the country to a form of Communist rule
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jul/29/david-cameron-first-british-prime-minister-visit-vietnam
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2015/jul/29/david-cameron-vietnam-video
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jul/29/david-cameron-vietnam-regime-business-diplomatic-game
27 JUNE 2015
Vietnam frees high-profile dissident lawyer Le Quoc Quan
Le Quoc Quan, one of Vietnam’s most prominent dissidents vowed to continue his anti-China activism after being released from prison on Saturday, after spending two and a half years in jail on tax evasion charges http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/605692/vietnam-frees-high-profile-dissident-lawyer
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/vietnam-frees-high-profile-dissident-lawyer
24 JUNE 2015
Vietnam’s legendary musicologist Tran Van Khe dies at 94
Professor Tran Van Khe, known as the master of traditional Vietnamese music, died at the age of 94 on Wednesday, after nearly a month of fighting for his life at a Ho Chi Minh City hospital
http://tuoitrenews.vn/lifestyle/28859/vietnam-legendary-musicologist-tran-van-khe-dies-at-94