Today is International Human Rights Day. However, in the bustling coffee shops of District 1 in Hồ Chí Minh City, or by the lakeside in Hà Nội, there is little to no fanfare. There are no speeches; only the glow of the newest smartphones, the flash of mindless social media scrolling, and the blur of a society frantically sprinting toward its next paycheck.

To be fair, this indifference is not unique to Việt Nam. Across the globe, International Human Rights Day is largely an abstraction. Despite rallies in some European capitals or well-meaning press releases from the UN, the vast majority of the world will let this day pass without a second thought.