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Key Events

Vietnam's National Assembly Elects Army Gen. Luong Cuong as New President PEN America Calls on Vietnam to End Harassment of Activist and Commentator Dang Thi Hue Human Rights Groups Request UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to Review the Cases of Two Khmer Krom Activists National Assembly Elects Army Gen. Luong Cuong as New President Vietnam's National Assembly on Oct. 21 named Gen. Luong Cuong as the new president, unanimously approved by the 440 legislature members who attended the plenary session. Cuong, 67, became the fourth person to assume the presidency in just four years, following the departure of his predecessors.

Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Vo Van Thuong resigned earlier this year, and To Lam became president in May. Three months later, Nguyen Phu Trong died, and To Lam became the Communist Party general secretary chairman. Cuong's election ended Lam's dual positions.

Cuong , who hails from the northern province of Phu Tho, has a solid military background. His inauguration speech emphasized the need to modernize national defense and security forces and ensure their loyalty to the party. Last May, he replaced Truong Thi Mai as standing secretary of the Party Secretariat after Mai was disciplined and reportedly resigned on allegations of “violating party regulations.” Cuong has also been a member of the 13th Politburo since 2021.

Many analysts believe the appointment of Cuong helped “stabilize the system” following the ouster of officials who were implicated in the anti-graft campaign.

Nguyen Khac Giang, a researcher and visiting fellow at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said the selection of Cuong reflects an attempt to “restore balance between Vietnam’s military and security factions, particularly ahead of the 2026 Party Congress.” Two of Vietnam’s current four pillars of political power, General Secretary To Lam and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, were former security officials who held positions in the Ministry of Public Security.

On Oct. 22, a ceremony was held at the Office of the President, where To Lam handed over the presidential duties to Cuong. Although the presidency is considered highly ceremonial, the president often attends formal meetings with foreign leaders and is a standing member of the Central Military Committee and the Central Public Security Committee. As with the former presidents' nomination and appointment procedure, Cuong's selection occurred behind closed doors. The Vietnamese public played no role in the election process.

In a press conference on the same day, China’s foreign affairs spokesperson, Lin Jiang, congratulated Cuong on his election as president of Vietnam. The spokesperson added that Beijing is ready to cooperate with Hanoi to “promote more solid progress in building the China-Vietnam community with a shared future and deliver more benefits to the two peoples.”

PEN America Calls on Vietnam to End Harassment of Activist and Commentator Dang Thi Hue PEN America, in a statement published on Oct. 21, condemned the Vietnamese government’s harassment and intimidation of Dang Thi Hue, an activist and online commentator known for her criticisms of the installation of “dirty” toll booths, which were established to overcharge drivers and residents in different northern provinces. Hue also engaged in online activism and advocated for human rights and democracy on social media, making her a target of harassment, surveillance, and physical assault.

In October 2019, the authorities arrested Hue. They sentenced her to 39 months in prison for “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe on the interests of the state and legitimate rights of others” under Article 331 of the Penal Code. After she was released in 2023, Hue was kidnapped and detained for over 24 hours by six individuals, including one in a police uniform, in May 2024.

The activist was questioned about her online activities and Facebook posts that were critical of the government. Meanwhile, on social media, Hue revealed that Facebook had restricted the content shared on the accounts she owned several times; an account named “Bot Huệ” was suspended on Oct. 17.

“The persecution of Dang Thi Hue is a stark reminder of the risks faced by those in Vietnam who dare to speak out and challenge the government’s authoritarian rule,” said Anh-Thu Vo, PEN America Research and Advocacy Manager. “We call on the Vietnamese authorities to immediately cease their harassment of Dang Thi Hue and respect her fundamental rights of free expression and peaceful dissent.”

Anh-Thu further emphasized that no individual should be threatened or retaliated against for voicing their opinions. And she called on international partners, including the U.S., to focus on free expression in their diplomatic engagement with Vietnam.

PEN America’s 2023 Freedom to Write Index shows that Vietnam ranks as the third-greatest jailer of writers, only behind China and Iran. Oppressive laws and enforced censorship have created an atmosphere of fear for many Vietnamese activists, journalists, and writers, compelling them to remain silent or go into exile to avoid persecution.

The New York-based advocacy group urged Hanoi to cease intimidating writers and release those imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of expression. PEN America also mentioned that Vietnam should be held accountable for violating international obligations, especially Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Human Rights Groups Request UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to Review the Cases of Two Khmer Krom Activists According to an announcement on Oct. 22, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) have sent a joint petition to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) to demand an investigation into the convictions of two Khmer Krom activists, To Hoang Chuong and Thach Cuong. HRF and KKF assert that Chuong and Cuong were arbitrarily arrested and prosecuted in violation of international law. They also demanded that Vietnamese authorities immediately release both men and ensure their rights were respected.

To Hoang Chuong and Thach Cuong resided in the southwestern part of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, an area populated with the Khmer Krom indigenous communities. The activists have advocated for recognizing these communities’ cultural and religious freedoms. However, in July 2023, the Tra Vinh Provincial Police arrested Chuong and Cuong and prosecuted them for “abusing democratic freedoms” under Article 331 of the Penal Code.

Both activists were held incommunicado for nearly eight months without access to their family or defense lawyers. Last March, the Cau Ngang District People’s Court of Tra Vinh sentenced Chuong to three and a half years and Thach Cuong to four years in prison in a hearing without lawyers and with the evidence presented having been obtained mainly from their confessions while in detention. In May, an appellate court in Tra Vinh rejected their appeals, upholding their previous sentences.

Kaitie Holland, International Legal Associate at HRF, said Article 331, the law used to convict both activists, was “vague” and primarily deployed to “[punish] the exercise of basic fundamental freedoms like the freedoms of expression, assembly, and association.” In her statement, Holland also condemned the lack of due process in the arrest and trial of these Khmer Krom activists, including the denial of their right to a lawyer, which makes their detention “baseless and arbitrary.”

Quick Takes Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son: Vietnam Always Prioritizes Strengthening Relations with China Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son told Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam He Wei on Oct. 22 that Vietnam is always committed to strengthening and developing its strategic partnership with China as a top foreign policy priority. Son, who also leads the Vietnam-China Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation, urged the Chinese ambassador to promote closer cooperation between the two countries’ ministries and agencies. He also emphasized the importance of properly managing the land border and maritime disputes, encouraging both countries to respect each other’s sovereignty and to resolve conflicts under international law.

General Secretary To Lam Vows to Carry on Anti-Corruption Drive Communist Party chief To Lam called for the continuation of the anti-graft campaign as he spoke at the beginning of a National Assembly session on Oct. 21. However, analysts said they believed that To Lam had weaponized the campaign, which ensnared thousands of high-ranking government officials, to target his political rivals. During his speech to the legislature lawmakers, Lam emphasized the need to “fight against negative phenomena,” which means to root out corruption. Le Minh Tri, a Supreme People’s Court justice, said that more than 10,000 individuals were tried in around 4,800 trials for corruption in the past year.

Vietnam Insight: Learn more about Vietnam Ignoring the risks, Vietnamese leave home in droves Radio Free Asia/ Allegra Mendelson/ Oct. 22

“Many of those leaving Vietnam hail from Nghe An, the country’s largest province, and neighboring Ha Tinh. Of the 39 victims in the Essex incident, almost all were from those provinces.

Nghe An holds great significance in the country’s history. Ho Chi Minh, the revered leader of Vietnam’s fight for independence and the country’s first president and first prime minister, was born in a small town in Kim Lien commune, 15 kilometers west of the provincial capital Vinh.

But its legacy has done little to protect the province from becoming one of the country’s poorest. There are not enough jobs to support the population of 3.3 million, so people “want to move abroad to earn more money,” according to Mau, an electrical engineer from Nghe An who runs the over 44,000 member information-sharing group on Facebook called ‘Người Nghệ An’, or People of Nghe An.”

Can Incinerators Solve Vietnam’s Waste Crisis? Dialogue Earth/ Nhung Nguyen/ Oct. 22

“With nearly 100 million people and rapid urbanisation, Vietnam generates around 68,000 tonnes of solid waste every day, 60% of which comes from urban areas. This is expected to swell by 16% by 2025, straining the country’s 1,200 dumps, where about two-thirds of waste ends up.

Major landfills in big cities, such as Hanoi’s Nam Son and Xuan Son, are already bursting at the seams. Since 2021, they have faced repeated closures due to the risk of containment embankments failing during downpours. In Ho Chi Minh City, Da Phuoc landfill, which exceeds its capacity by four million tonnes, might soon face a similar fate.

Vietnam’s waste sector emits 21 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) annually, accounting for around 6.5% of the country’s total emissions. Methane emissions from landfills contribute a significant portion, at 18 million tonnes of CO2e.”

New York Times Opens Vietnam Bureau Amid Claims of Media Repression VOA News/ Tommy Walker/ Oct. 18

“Vietnam is a one-party communist state. The government has complete control over the state’s functions, social organizations and media. Although Vietnam has one of the fastest growing economies in the region, it has a poor reputation for corruption, political censorship, human rights and civic society.