The Latest: On World Press Freedom Day, May 3, the embassies of the Kingdom of Belgium and the Netherlands in Việt Nam sparked a polarized online response after posting statements on their official fan pages.
The posts reaffirmed a “strong commitment to press freedom and freedom of expression” while openly referencing what they described as the arbitrary detention of Vietnamese journalist Phạm Đoan Trang.
Who is Phạm Đoan Trang? Phạm Đoan Trang is a journalist and democracy activist who has long advocated for freedom of expression and independent journalism in Việt Nam.
Before co-founding and serving as the editor of Luật Khoa Magazine—an independent outlet focused on politics and law—in 2014, she worked for several state-run newspapers. Her resume includes stints at VnExpress, VietNamNet, and Pháp Luật Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh (Hồ Chí Minh City Law Newspaper).
Over two decades in journalism, she has written articles, books, and reports on human rights violations, politics, and environmental issues in Việt Nam. Notable works include Politics for the Masses and detailed reports on the Đồng Tâm Incident.
For years prior to her arrest, she faced repeated police harassment, physical assaults, the confiscation of personal documents, and periods of homelessness.
She was ultimately arrested in October 2020 and sentenced in 2021 to nine years in prison on charges of “conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam” under Article 88 of the 1999 Penal Code.
The Details: The Belgian and Dutch embassies utilized their platforms to declare that “journalists working in a safe and independent environment are an indispensable foundation of an open and thriving economy.”
They noted that journalists not only inform the public but also “play a crucial watchdog role in holding those in power accountable to society.”
The two embassies added: ‘Today, we stand in solidarity with journalists around the world who face pressure, threats, arrest, or imprisonment for doing their work,” emphasizing that “press freedom is not only the right of journalists but the right of society as a whole.”
The embassies specifically cited the nine-year prison sentence handed to Phạm Đoan Trang for “peaceful activities promoting civil and political rights,” while reiterating United Nations concerns over her “prolonged arbitrary detention and harsh sentencing.”
The Belgian Embassy’s post, in particular, generated a surge in engagement. One user, operating under the name Hòn Đá Lăn, cited Việt Nam’s Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department, commenting: “An embassy admin supporting an individual opposing the host country.”
Other users echoed similar sentiments, writing, “What’s wrong with the Belgian Embassy?”, “Is this diplomacy?” and “Is the Belgian Embassy anti-state? Still, thank you very much.”
One user predicted the impending backlash, stating, “The Belgian Embassy should be careful—there’s about to be a herd of ‘bulls’ charging in.”
On the Dutch Embassy’s fan page, a user named Nguyễn Đăng Khoa commented: “Glorifying criminals is not smart diplomacy!”
Simultaneously, several comments across both pages expressed support and gratitude toward the two embassies.
The Background: According to the 2026 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on April 30, 2026, press freedom in Việt Nam remains the worst in Southeast Asia. The nation ranks among the bottom ten countries globally, placing 174 out of 180, down one place from the year before.
In its country report, RSF stated, “Việt Nam’s traditional media are tightly controlled by a single political party. Independent journalists and bloggers are frequently imprisoned, making Việt Nam one of the world’s largest jailers of journalists.”
International press organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists and PEN America, have repeatedly voiced concern and criticized the Vietnamese government’s control over the press.
However, the Vietnamese government has consistently rejected such allegations, describing them as “false accusations and biased claims targeting Việt Nam.”
Why It Matters: Since 2019, the Communist Party has been actively restructuring the state media system, culminating in the early April 2026 transfer of Vietnam Television, Voice of Vietnam, and the Vietnam News Agency directly into the Party’s central apparatus.
Hoàng Nam wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on May 4, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine has the copyrights of the English translation.
