Viet Nam
As of February 2026, Vietnam’s human rights record remains a study in contradictions. While the country has achieved high-level international recognition—including its re-election to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2026–2028 term—domestic repression has significantly intensified. The current environment is dominated by a major political transition ahead of the 14th Communist Party Congress, which opened on January 19, 2026.
The following are the critical human rights issues currently facing Vietnam:
1. Political Crackdown and the 14th Party Congress
The run-up to the January 2026 Party Congress saw the widest-ranging crackdown on dissent in decades.
Pre-emptive Arrests: Throughout 2025 and early 2026, authorities arrested scores of perceived critics to ensure "stability" during the leadership transition. Notable arrests include high-profile bloggers like Truong Huy San and prominent human rights lawyer Nguyen Van Dai, who received a 17-year sentence in late 2025.
Political Prisoners: As of February 2026, Vietnam holds more than 160 political prisoners. In September 2025, political prisoner Trinh Ba Phuong was sentenced to an additional 11 years while already serving a 10-year term, simply for continuing to criticize the Party from behind bars.
2. Digital Repression and Surveillance
Vietnam has moved aggressively to control the digital sphere, where most dissent now occurs.
Article 331: Authorities increasingly rely on Article 331 of the Criminal Code ("abusing democratic freedoms") to criminalize social media posts. In 2025 alone, at least 32 people were sentenced under this law for discussing corruption, land rights, or religious freedom.
The VNeID "Social Credit" Concern: In early 2026, the Ministry of Public Security introduced a draft resolution on "Digital Citizens." Critics argue this system uses the VNeID app to effectively score citizens based on their "activity" and loyalty, potentially restricting access to public services for those deemed less "active" or compliant.
New Cybercrime Laws: In December 2025, new measures were adopted forcing journalists to disclose their sources to authorities and broadening the definition of "state secrets" to include almost any sensitive government information.
3. Religious Persecution
While the state officially recognizes some religious groups, "unregistered" or independent groups face systemic harassment.
"Country of Particular Concern": In late 2025, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended that Vietnam be designated a "Country of Particular Concern" due to systematic and egregious violations.
Targeting Minorities: Indigenous Montagnard Christians in the Central Highlands and Khmer Krom Buddhists in the Mekong Delta have been subjected to arbitrary arrests and forced renunciations of faith. In October 2025, Thailand controversially extradited Montagnard activist Y Quynh Bdap back to Vietnam, where he faces a high risk of torture.
4. Suppression of Environmental and Labor Activism
Even activists working on government-approved "green" goals are no longer safe.
The "JETP" Crackdown: The crackdown on climate activists involved in the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) continued into 2025. Authorities have shifted from high-profile arrests to quieter, more persistent harassment of smaller environmental non-profits, such as the group Green Trees, which was forced to cease operations in late 2025.
Labor Rights: Despite promises to the international community, Vietnam has still failed to ratify ILO Convention 87 on Freedom of Association. Independent labor unions remain prohibited, and the 2024 Trade Union Law (which went into effect in 2025) still mandates that all unions remain under state control.
5. Transnational Repression
Vietnam has increasingly reached beyond its borders to silence critics living in exile.
Extraditions and Abductions: Beyond the high-profile extradition of Y Quynh Bdap from Thailand, rights groups have documented several "staged accidents" and disappearances of Vietnamese activists in neighboring ASEAN countries throughout 2025.