Key Events 

• Court Upholds 11-Year Sentence Against Trịnh Bá Phương on Dec. 27;
• Việt Nam Tests Power Consolidation With Tô Lâm Nomination;
• Ministry of Public Security Moves to Centralize Online Identity Through VNeID Platform;
• Government Moves to Reassert Ideological Discipline in Newsrooms;
• Administrative Fines Could Now Reach Personal Property of Household Members;
• Reform Within Limits: The Party’s Vision for Courts.

The Cost of Speaking Out: Trịnh Bá Phương and the Long Shadow of Land Disputes

Trịnh Bá Phương was sentenced on Sept. 27, 2025, by the Đà Nẵng People’s Court to 11 years in prison under Article 117 of the Penal Code for allegedly “making, storing, and disseminating materials against the state,” a term widely criticized for its vagueness and breadth. On Dec. 27, 2025, an appellate court upheld his conviction and sentence.

At the center of the conviction lies a single alleged piece of evidence: a handwritten A3-sized placard discovered during a cell search at An Điềm Prison on Nov. 18, 2024, bearing slogans critical of the Communist Party and the courts.