Vietnam: Activists, religious actors, book publishers and journalists criminalised as new retaliatory decree on lawyers comes into effect

The state of civic space in Vietnam is rated as ‘closed’. Among ongoing concerns documented are systematic attempts to silence human rights defenders, journalists and bloggers, including their jailing under national security laws, restrictions on their freedom of movement, and torture and ill-treatment in detention. There are also strict controls on the media, online censorship and controls on social media as well as ongoing restrictions on peaceful protests.

Vietnam's communist-dominated general assembly elected To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, to be the country's president and head of state, an unusual concentration of power in one person. He was elected unanimously by the 500-seat assembly on 7th April 2026. Le Minh Hung, a former central bank governor, was elected Prime Minister on the same day.

In April 2026, Amnesty International reported that the government continued to rely on vague Penal Code provisions and tried to introduce additional new laws to counter dissent and suppress freedom of expression, resulting in further arbitrary arrests and detentions. Concerns persisted over the ill-treatment of activists in prisons across the country

In recent months, an activist was sentenced in absentia to 11 years in prison, Cao Dai adherents were arrested for documenting human rights abuses, and a Montagnard pastor was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. A new report documented 56 political arrests in 2025, a new retaliatory decree targets lawyers, while repressive Penal Code revisions have been proposed. Five were arrested for a Ho Chi Minh book, and a social media commentator and two journalists were convicted. Social media platforms removed posts critical of a megaproject in Da Nang while Hanoi residents mounted a silent protest over home demolitions.

Association

Human rights defender sentenced in absentia to 11 years in prison

The People’s Court of Dak Lak, Vietnam, sentenced human rights defender Dr Nguyen Dinh Thang to 11 years in prison on charges of terrorism under Article 299(2) of Vietnam’s Penal Code at a trial in absentia on 28th April 2026.

According to CSW, the authorities claimed that Dr. Thang, a US citizen and president of Vietnamese-American human rights organisation Boat People SOS (BPSOS), directed, incited and facilitated actions carried out by one of the co-founders of the human rights organisation Montagnards Stand for Justice, Y Quynh Bdap, and other individuals inside Vietnam, in connection with a violent attack on communist party offices in Dak Lak on 11th June 2023.

As previously documented, the Vietnamese government declared BPSOS as a terrorist organisation in February 2026. BPSOS and its senior leadership were derided for ‘assisting organisations and individuals participating in anti-Vietnam activities.’ The article went on to explicitly name BPSOS as a terrorist organisation and describe its president, chief operating officer and chief financial officer as terrorists.

Four Cao Dai adherents arrested for documenting human rights abuses

Authorities in Dong Thap Province, Vietnam arrested four Cao Dai clergy and lay leaders accused of sharing documentation of human rights abuses online on 12th May 2026.

According to CSW, Tran Ngoc Suong, Nguyen Ngoc Dien, Nguyen Anh Phung and his wife Tran Thanh Tuyet stand accused of engaging in activities including providing interviews and sharing video clips and documentation of human rights abuses, including violations of freedom of religion or belief, via online platforms that the authorities claim contained content which distorts or misrepresents government policies and laws.

Phung and Tuyet were released on 13th May 2026. However Suong was charged under Article 117 of the Vietnamese Penal Code, which criminalises ‘making, possessing, disseminating, and propagating information and documents aimed at opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam’. He is currently being held in pre-trial detention while the investigation continues.

The Cao Dai religion, founded in 1926, is a syncretistic modern Vietnamese religious movement with a strongly nationalist political character. Members of the Cao Dai faith have suffered repression and persecution for practising their faith.

Montagnard pastor sentenced to seven and a half years in prison

On 5th August 2026, a Montagnard Protestant pastor was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison by the People's Court of Dak Lak province on the charge of ‘undermining the national unity policy’ under Article 116 of the 2015 Penal Code. Y Nuen Ayun, born in 1967, was also sentenced to four years of probationary supervision following completion of the prison sentence.

According to CSW, Y Nuen Ayun helped organise religious gatherings, conducted online and in-person meetings, recruited participants, submitted reports to overseas human rights organisations, and received more than 7.7 million Vietnamese dong (approximately USD 294) to support organisational activities. The authorities further alleged that these activities were intended to promote the creation of a separate religious organisation for ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands.

As previously documented, he was detained in October 2025 for his involvement in the religious organisation Evangelical Church of Christ in the Central Highlands. The church is one of several independent Protestant groups in Vietnam that have been repeatedly targeted by police for operating outside state-sanctioned religious institutions.

New report documents 56 political arrests in 2025

In June 2026, it was reported that Vietnam is increasingly using broadly written laws to arrest activists, dissidents and others that authorities consider a threat to the Communist Party’s rule.

According to a new analysis by human rights group, the 88 Project, which focuses on rights issues in Vietnam, there were 56 such arrests in 2025, the third consecutive year of increases and double the number in 2022.

The report says the country under leader To Lam “routinely weaponises criminal law” to quash dissent. The arrests are largely driven by fears of an uprising against the leadership in a so-called “colour revolution.”

The report found that authorities are relying increasingly on Article 331 of Vietnam’s penal code, which makes it a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison to ‘abuse democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state.’ It was invoked in 64 percent of the arrests. The other provision was Article 117, which outlaws the conducting of “propaganda against the state,” which was used in a further 14 of last year’s arrests.

New retaliatory decree targets lawyers

A new governmental decree - which took effect on 18th May 2026 - undermines the independence of lawyers in Vietnam and will impede efforts to hold officials accountable.

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), Decree 109/2026 empowers the police and government officials at the local (commune) level to revoke lawyers’ licences and impose severe fines for vaguely worded offences such as ‘insulting’ officials or ‘obstructing’ the functioning of state agencies.

Decree 109 applies to civil and criminal proceedings, including land disputes, and includes sanctions for ‘administrative violations’ such as ‘insulting the honour, dignity, or reputation of persons authorised to conduct legal proceedings.’ Other alleged violations include conduct aimed at ‘delaying, prolonging, or creating difficulties for, or obstructing, the operations of procedural bodies’ and acts that ‘cause harm to the legitimate rights and interests of agencies, organisations, or individuals.’ The latter evokes the nearly identical language of article 331 of the Penal Code, which the authorities have used to prosecute citizens who have criticised the government or exposed wrongdoing by officials.

The decree specifies that advising clients to file unlawful complaints or denunciations’ is also grounds for punishment, but it does not specify what constitutes an ‘unlawful’ complaint. The violations set out in this decree are likely to deter lawyers from taking cases involving land rights activists or whistleblowers as clients.

Local officials under Decree 109 can punish Vietnamese lawyers by revoking their licences for up to nine months, and those of international lawyers for up to three months, and impose fines of up to 40 million VND (USD 1,520). Decree 109 also states that advising clients to join a protest (‘to gather in large numbers to disrupt public order) may temporarily cost a lawyer their licence to practice.

On 17th June 2026, the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers and Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, wrote a letter to the government concerning the decree. They said “several provisions of these amendments may not be in line with international human rights standards related to independence of lawyers, the autonomy of professional associations, and the right to effective legal assistance, by allowing broad administrative sanctions, including temporary deprivation of practicing certificates, for vaguely defined professional conduct. They may also infringe upon the right to a fair trial protected in both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Vietnam acceded on 24 September 1982.”

Repressive Penal Code revisions proposed

On 10th August 2026, Human Rights Watch raised concerns around proposed revisions to the penal code that violate basic rights.

According to HRW, Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security submitted the draft code to the National Assembly for review during the session from 3rd-24th August 2026, with the expectation that the revised code would be adopted after 20th October 2026. The draft revisions would increase already harsh penalties for vague and overbroad criminal offences that infringe upon the right to freedom of expression and other rights.

The Ministry of Public Security proposes to increase the punishment for violators of article 331(2), which criminalises acts deemed to ‘infringe upon the interests of the state,’ from a minimum of two to three years in prison. Article 117, which prohibits ‘making, storing, disseminating or propagandising information, materials and products that aim to oppose the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,’ has been amended to broadly prohibit acts that ‘aim to oppose the Communist Party of Vietnam.’ The ministry also proposes to criminalise offences against the Communist Party flag, punishable by up to three years in prison.

While increasing punishments for certain crimes, the ministry also proposed exempting the police, armed forces, and paramilitary self-defence forces from criminal liability for acts committed while carrying out official duties.

Expression

Five arrested for Ho Chi Minh book

The Vietnamese authorities have arrested and detained five people since late June 2026 for their roles in the publication of a controversial book about Ho Chi Minh, the founder of Vietnamese communism.

According to HRW, Hanoi police charged all five - Nguyen Thanh Nam, Tran Viet Anh, Nguyen Thuy Hang, Dao Ba Doan, and Nguyen Van Yen - with carrying out anti-state propaganda under the notorious national security law, penal code article 117, and published their home addresses, violating their families’ privacy rights. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison.

‘In Conversation with Thanh: A New Account of the Light’ was written by the detained tech executive Nguyen Thanh Nam and published by the Writers’ Association Publishing House in Hanoi in April 2026. The book details Ho Chi Minh’s life and revolutionary career using conversational dialogues between a teacher and a student, and contemporary vernacular to make Ho Chi Minh and his thinking relevant to younger Vietnamese people.

Authorities said the content of this book distorts history, as well as the lines and policies of the Communist Party and State; and insults President Ho Chi Minh, and many other Party and State leaders.

Author Nguyen Thanh Nam was arrested on 27th June 2025. Tran Viet Anh was arrested for promoting the Ho Chi Minh book. He is the founder of Spiderum, an online discussion platform established in 2016 and popular with many young Vietnamese people. On 11th and 12th July, police arrested three senior figures from the Writers’ Association Publishing House whose names appear in the book: Nguyen Thuy Hang, director; Dao Ba Doan, chief editor; and Nguyen Van Yen, editor. The police newspaper said that all three, who are senior Communist Party members, had been detained for “editing, amending, publishing and promoting” the book.

Newspapers in Vietnam soon removed articles promoting the book. The Writers’ Association Publishing House apologised publicly and ordered a recall. Days later, the Bureau of Publication, Printing and Distribution under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism disciplined the publishing house by suspending its operations for two months and fining it 100 million dong (USD 3,800). In July 2026, the ministry’s Press Bureau fined 23 newspapers for promoting the book. Over a dozen journalists received warnings, suspensions, or dismissals as a consequence of their perceived connection to the book.

Social media commentator convicted

On 29th July 2026, a court in Hanoi convicted Hoang Thi Hong Thai, a prominent commentator on social media, and sentenced her to six years in prison. Hanoi police had arrested her on 7th January for comments she made on social media criticising the Vietnamese government and charged her with anti-state propaganda under article 117 of the penal code.

Hoang Thi Hong Thai, 45, has published hundreds of comments on social media focusing on socio-political issues and expressing empathy for people who have suffered government repression. As of July 2026, her Meta account had 118,000 followers.

In April 2025, the police interrogated her about her writing and threatened to arrest her. In June 2025, she published an online post criticising articles 117 and 331 of Vietnam’s penal code for violating the right to freedom of speech enshrined in Vietnam’s constitution and urged the National Assembly to amend or abolish these laws.

Journalist Huynh Ngoc Tuan sentenced to 8.5 years for anti-state propaganda

Journalist Huynh Ngoc Tuan was sentenced in April 2026 to eight years and six months in prison.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the People’s Court of Dak Lak Province ruled that 11 of Tuan’s live videos and 21 Facebook posts were defamatory, spread false information, and undermined trust in the ruling Communist party and state, the journalist’s daughter, Huynh Thuc Vy, told CPJ, and state media reported.

As previously documented, on 7th October 2025, police arrested Tuan at his home in Buon Ho town, Dak Lak province. Tuan, an independent journalist and writer who was previously imprisoned for 10 years for his critical writings, regularly posts commentary about Vietnamese politics, human rights, and international affairs on his personal Facebook page. In 2012, he received Human Rights Watch’s Hellman/Hammett award, which recognises persecuted writers.

Journalist Doan Bao Chau sentenced in absentia to seven years in prison

Journalist Doan Bao Chau has been sentenced in absentia by a Hanoi court to seven years in prison over social media posts critical of the government.

According to CPJ, on 3rd August 2026 the Hanoi People’s Court convicted Chau under Article 117 of Vietnam’s Penal Code, which criminalises ‘producing, possessing, distributing, or disseminating information deemed to oppose the state,’ according to news reports. The court also ordered Chau to serve five years of probation following completion of his sentence.

Chau, who is in exile in Canada and reports via his personal Facebook page, which has 225,000 followers, rejected the conviction as baseless in text messages with CPJ after the ruling, and in a statement issued as the hearing opened.

Chau, who previously worked as a freelance photographer for the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse and as a reporter for The New York Times, told CPJ in a text message that he was subjected to a travel ban and frequent police summons over his reporting beginning in June 2024, prompting him to go into hiding. In July 2025, more than 20 officers raided and searched his home in the capital, Hanoi, and charged him under Article 117.

UN body finds activist Bui Tun Lam’s detention to be arbitrary

In June 2026, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued an opinion on the case of human rights activist and citizen journalist, Bui Tuan Lam.

As previously documented, In May 2023, a court in Da Nang sentenced Bui Tuan Lam to five years and six months in prison. He was charged with conducting ‘propaganda against the state’ for his online criticism of the government under article 117(1) of the penal code.

Over the past decade, Bui Tuan Lam has publicly advocated democracy for Vietnam. He has participated in many anti-China and pro-environment protests over the years. He also participated in a humanitarian group to provide assistance to impoverished people in remote areas and victims of natural disasters in Vietnam.

The working group found his detention arbitrary based on Category I, that there is no legal basis justifying the deprivation of liberty; Category II, that his detention resulted from his exercise of his right to freedom of opinion and expression; Category III because his detention violated his right to be tried without undue delay, and Category V, because he was discriminated against on the basis of his political opinions, which reflected opposition to the Government, and his status as a human rights defender.

Social media platforms remove posts critical of megaproject in Da Nang

Social media platforms are scrubbing dissent regarding a controversial megaproject in central Vietnam

According to The Vietnamese, since mid-July 2026, numerous Threads and Facebook users have reported that the social media platforms removed their posts criticising the Vingroup-developed Lang Van project.

The Lang Van complex is designed as an international standard 'resort city' with low-density accommodation. The project features a full range of amenities, including hotels, resorts, villas, apartments, theme parks, culinary and commercial centres, as well as educational and healthcare services.

The megaproject, located at the foot of Hai Van Pass in Da Nang, has faced a wave of opposition on social media. The public backlash primarily stems from concerns regarding the effects of the development on the local landscape, ecology, and environment.

What remains unclear is the mechanism behind the removals. Social media platforms generally remove content after their automated systems detect a possible violation, another user files a report, or a government or company submits a formal removal request. For several posts, Threads said the content was removed because it “infringed someone else’s copyright.” However, the platform did not identify the copyright holder.

Hanoi residents mount silent protest over home demolitions

In June 2026, it was reported that Hanoi residents are showing rare public opposition to a massive redevelopment scheme that could displace hundreds of thousands.

Authorities in Vietnam's capital have been on a demolition blitz, knocking down thousands of homes to make way for bridges and other infrastructure projects. One 11,000-hectare area along the Red River is slated to become a warren of high-end residential complexes and parks, with roughly 250,000 residents relocated.

In response to this there have been silent prayer vigils attended by hundreds. Cautiously worded protest banners have appeared on nearby houses, with many disappearing after a few days. Dozens have gathered to stroll along the shores of Hanoi's West Lake wearing matching red-and-yellow T-shirts pleading for neighbourhoods to be spared. They have been organised anonymously and publicised on social media.

In the Red River area, part of the anger stems from the perception that private companies will profit from high-end apartments replacing their homes.