Key Events
- A Megaproject Pits Development Rhetoric Against Residents’ Rights in Hà Nội;
- Tô Lâm Turns to Global Diplomacy to Fuel Việt Nam’s High-Income Ambitions;
- Việt Nam Builds Up Spratly Outposts Amid China’s Renewed Island Expansion;
- Hà Nội Turns to Fuel Imports to Offset Iran War Oil Shock;
- Pirate Sites in the Country Closed after Copyright Crackdown.
Hà Nội Residents Push Back Against Red River Megaproject Clearance as Online Speech Narrows
Residents along Hà Nội’s Red River are pushing back against a massive urban redevelopment plan, warning that the project’s “complete clearance” approach could uproot long-established communities while local online discussion about the plan faces growing restrictions.
The controversy centers on the Red River Scenic Boulevard Project, one of Hà Nội’s largest strategic megaprojects.
On May 11, the Hà Nội People’s Council unanimously approved revised investment policies for the project, lowering its estimated capital to about 736.96 trillion đồng ($28 billion) and reducing the affected areas from 19 to 16 communes and wards. The revisions excluded Vĩnh Tuy, Hoàng Mai, and Vĩnh Hưng wards from the project area.
The project, now expected to run from 2026 to 2038, covers roughly 11,418 hectares and is backed by companies Đại Quang Minh, Trường Hải, and Hòa Phát as principal investors.
Earlier plans had placed the project at about 855 trillion đồng and roughly 11,000 hectares, with land clearance estimated at 2,100 hectares. By May 2026, however, the remaining investors of the project said the area had expanded to about 11,400 hectares, with expected land recovery reaching 8,000 hectares and site clearance costs estimated at 290 trillion đồng.
Residents of Hồng Hà Ward, one of the main affected areas, have circulated an emergency petition urging the authorities to halt “complete clearance” plans. The ward, Hà Nội’s largest inner-city ward, covers more than 15 square kilometers and has a population of over 123,000.
In the petition, residents asked authorities to clarify what they described as signs of irregularities in financial management and land use and to consider proposals to preserve existing residential communities.
Their demands include exempting stable residential areas from complete clearance, relocating residents only where essential infrastructure or independently assessed flood risks require it, conducting independent appraisals of reciprocal land funds, clarifying land valuation methods, ensuring public consultation, and requiring investors to demonstrate financial capacity.
Residents also requested a written response within seven working days, citing the 2013 Law on Citizen Reception and the 2022 Law on the Implementation of Grassroots Democracy.
The backlash has spread across Facebook groups created to share updates on the project. One post in a Red River planning group received more than 1,300 reactions, nearly 300 comments, and 131 shares as of May 11.
Another anonymous post claimed that several locations across Hà Nội had collected more than 10,000 signatures opposing the project, though the exact number and identities of signatories remained unverified.
The public anxiety has also exposed a sharp contrast in official rhetoric. On May 12, Communist Party General Secretary Tô Lâm told the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s 11th National Congress that “the people are the root” and must be regarded as the “subject and center” of renewal and development.
Lâm also said the Front should strengthen social supervision and criticism as a way for citizens to control power and prevent corruption. But he made no public remarks addressing the Red River residents’ petitions.
At the same time, online discussion around the project appears to be narrowing. Administrators of a Facebook group with more than 26,000 members, titled “Latest Hồng River Scenic Boulevard Project,” announced on May 12 that posts and comments containing “sensitive language” would be automatically rejected.
The banned terms reportedly included “communist,” “protest,” “complete clearance,” “land grabbing/seizure,” “collecting petitions,” “mobilizing residents,” “people suffering,” “corruption,” “struggle,” and “taking to the streets.”
One administrator also claimed local security officers and police had summoned them for questioning over group content allegedly considered provocative or anti-state, though The Vietnamese Magazine could not independently verify the claim.
The Red River Project dispute now tests whether Hà Nội’s development model can balance megaproject ambitions with resident rights, transparency, and meaningful public participation—or whether “people-centered development” will remain a slogan used while communities are cleared and their language policed.
Tô Lâm Pushes Việt Nam Beyond ‘Bamboo Diplomacy’ in Bid for High-Income Status
Việt Nam’s paramount leader, Tô Lâm, is pursuing an aggressive diplomatic campaign to secure markets, capital, technology, and strategic partnerships needed to transform the country into a high-income economy by 2045.
Since consolidating power as both Communist Party general secretary and state president, Lâm has embarked on a rapid series of foreign trips, meeting leaders and business communities in Beijing, Washington, Pyongyang, Moscow, New Delhi, Helsinki, Paris, London, and several Southeast Asian capitals.
Analysts say the pace signals a shift from Việt Nam’s traditionally cautious “bamboo diplomacy” toward a more assertive effort to position the country as a rising middle power.
Dr. Lê Hồng Hiệp, a senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, told This Week in Asia that Tô Lâm is seeking to present Việt Nam as “not merely a country navigating great power competition, but one shaping the terms of its engagement.”
Analysts say Lâm has not abandoned bamboo diplomacy but is reinforcing it with a harder edge: flexibility backed by ambition, urgency, and leader-driven dealmaking.
Lâm, 68, rose through the ranks of the Ministry of Public Security to become its minister in 2016. He later played a central role in the Communist Party’s sweeping “blazing furnace” anti-corruption campaign.
In May 2024, he was elected president after his predecessor stepped down amid allegations of party rule violations. Following the death of longtime party chief Nguyễn Phú Trọng that July, Lâm became general secretary and state president, giving him a concentration of power rarely seen in modern Việt Nam.
That authority also leaves him with less room to shift responsibility if his economic promises fail. Lâm has set a target for Việt Nam to become a high-income country by 2045 and has called for annual growth of 10% over the next four years. Economists say reaching that goal will require stronger private consumption, rising productivity, and sustained foreign investment.
Domestically, Lâm has moved to cut red tape and accelerate decision-making, but analysts say internal reforms alone cannot deliver the capital and technology needed for such rapid growth. Diplomacy has therefore become a central instrument in advancing his economic agenda.
During a May 6 address to Indian business leaders in New Delhi, Lâm framed global instability as an opening rather than an obstacle, saying geopolitical fractures and economic vulnerability could create opportunities if countries “seize them in time.”
His India visit produced a 2030 bilateral trade target of $25 billion, potential defense cooperation, VinFast electric vehicle investment pledges, and symbolic agricultural exchanges.
Later this month, Lâm is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, becoming the first Vietnamese leader to headline Asia’s premier defense summit. Analysts expect him to emphasize cooperation over protectionism and engagement over isolation.
Việt Nam’s economy is forecast to grow more than 7% this year, the fastest pace in Southeast Asia, and may soon overtake Thailand as ASEAN’s second-largest economy. But its export-dependent model faces serious headwinds, including U.S.-China rivalry, tariff uncertainty, inflationary pressures, and global supply chain disruption.
Nguyễn Khắc Giang, a visiting fellow at ISEAS, said Việt Nam’s diplomacy under Lâm remains multidirectional, but more purposeful and leader-driven. The priority, he said, is to protect strategic autonomy while securing markets, capital, technology, and security partnerships.
For Lâm, diplomacy is no longer a ceremonial extension of statecraft. It has become the engine of his domestic growth promise and a hedge that protects Việt Nam from being caught in the crossfire of a volatile world.
Việt Nam Expands South China Sea Outposts as China Reinforces Rival Claims
Việt Nam has expanded its outposts in the South China Sea by hundreds of acres over the past year, according to a new report, as Hà Nội and Beijing continue to reinforce competing territorial claims through land reclamation and infrastructure construction.
The Washington-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) said Việt Nam reclaimed an additional 534 acres across the Spratly Islands over the past year, bringing its total reclaimed area to about 2,771 acres. The expansion follows several years during which Hà Nội accelerated island-building.
The report said Việt Nam’s largest outpost is now Barque Canada Reef, known in Vietnamese as Bãi Thuyền Chài, where a new artificial landmass was completed in spring 2025. Since then, Hà Nội has focused reclamation work on smaller features where dredging began in late 2025.
AMTI also identified new specialized infrastructure at Barque Canada Reef, including a communications structure completed in April 2026 and a navigation beacon system that it said appears similar to systems installed at China’s Spratly airstrips. The system could help support aircraft navigation within a 100-nautical-mile radius, according to the report.
The expansion is not limited to land reclamation. Satellite imagery cited by AMTI shows three additional harbors taking shape at Grierson Reef, Petley Reef, and South Reef, bringing Việt Nam’s current number of harbors in the Spratlys to 15, including 11 built since 2021. Initial construction of another likely harbor has also been observed at Landsdowne Reef.
The developments come as China resumes large-scale reclamation of its own. AMTI said Beijing’s work at Antelope Reef in the Paracel Islands has likely made it the largest island in the South China Sea, pushing China’s totals to about 5,460 acres of artificial land and 6,224 acres of reef destruction.
While Việt Nam appeared to be narrowing the reclamation gap with China in early 2025, Beijing’s Antelope Reef expansion has widened it again. AMTI estimated that without Antelope Reef, Việt Nam’s total reef destruction would amount to 89% of China’s total; with Antelope included, the figure falls to 66%.
The buildup reflects the broader contest over the South China Sea, where China claims sovereignty over most of the waters through its so-called nine-dash line, while Việt Nam cites historic claims over the Paracel and Spratly islands dating back centuries. Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei also claim the Spratlys in whole or in part.
The latest reclamation push underscores a delicate balance in Việt Nam’s China policy. Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged closer ties with President Tô Lâm during their meeting in Beijing last month, yet both governments are simultaneously strengthening their physical presence in disputed waters.
For Hà Nội, the expansion appears aimed at strengthening deterrence and logistical capacity in one of Asia’s most contested maritime zones. But it also carries environmental and geopolitical costs, as dredging damages fragile reef systems and risks deepening a regional island-building race.
Việt Nam Boosts Fuel Imports As Iran War Disrupts Oil Supplies
Việt Nam increased imports of refined oil products in March and April to offset a decline in crude supplies for its domestic refineries after the outbreak of the Iran war, Reuters reported, citing customs and ship-tracking data.
The shift helped the Southeast Asian manufacturing hub cushion the effects of the Gulf crisis, but it also put added pressure on the economy. Reuters reported that the surge in fuel purchases contributed to an unusual trade deficit and came as consumer prices rose 5.46% in April, above the government’s 4.5% target.
According to Reuters’ analysis of Vietnamese customs data, imports of refined oil products rose nearly 17% by volume in March and April from a year earlier, while their value jumped 144%. Việt Nam bought more fuel from South Korea and Malaysia to make up for reduced shipments from Singapore and China.
South Korea sharply increased its role in Việt Nam’s fuel supply chain, exporting 610,000 metric tons of refined oil products to Việt Nam in the two-month period. That was more than 60% higher than a year earlier and nearly matched shipments from Singapore, Việt Nam’s top supplier. Malaysian shipments nearly doubled to 403,000 tons, allowing Malaysia to overtake China as Việt Nam’s third-largest refined fuel provider.
The decline in Chinese fuel supplies created particular pressure on aviation. Reuters reported that shipments from China fell about 17% during the period, even though Việt Nam had secured exemptions from China’s fuel export restrictions imposed after the Iran war began on Feb. 28. Before the crisis, Việt Nam depended on China for more than half of its jet fuel needs.
Crude oil imports also shifted. Reuters reported that Việt Nam’s crude imports in March and April fell 5% year-on-year as supplies from Kuwait, its top crude provider, were disrupted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Kuwait remained the main supplier in March because previously shipped cargoes arrived that month, but no Kuwaiti shipments reached Việt Nam in April.
Nghi Sơn, Việt Nam’s largest refinery, said it received crude from the United States and Africa, while Kpler data showed additional shipments from the United Arab Emirates and Nigeria. In May, crude imports already exceeded the previous two months, with supplies arriving from Oman and Angola.
Nguyễn Thanh Sơn, a Hanoi-based energy analyst and former Vinacomin executive, told Reuters that while Việt Nam’s refineries have secured crude oil for several more weeks, the country’s energy outlook would grow increasingly complex if the war continued.
Nguyễn Quốc Thập, chairman of the Vietnam Petroleum Association, said that higher domestic crude output eased the shock, but production could not be increased quickly.
Việt Nam Shuts Down Pirate Websites After Government Begins Copyright Crackdown
Several pirate streaming and fansub websites in Việt Nam were shut down within 24 hours after the government launched a nationwide campaign against online copyright violations, Tuổi Trẻ News reported.
The closures followed Official Dispatch No. 38, signed by Deputy Prime Minister Hồ Quốc Dũng on May 5, ordering ministries, agencies, and local authorities to intensify enforcement against intellectual property violations. The campaign runs from May 7 to May 30 and calls for enforcement with “no exceptions, no safe zones.”
By 2 p.m. on May 7, several major illegal streaming websites, including Co TV, Phim4k.xyz, and Thia Phim, had announced they were shutting down, citing compliance with Vietnamese law. Phim4k.xyz posted a notice saying it would officially cease operations on May 6 and thanked users for their support. Thia Phim issued a similar statement.
The crackdown also affected fan translation communities, especially those distributing unauthorized Japanese animation content. Mon Fansub and Doraemon Fansub Vietnam, which were known for sharing Doraemon anime content, announced they would stop operating their platforms, including DoraWatch. Doraemon Fansub Vietnam said its model no longer met legal standards and pledged to delete all databases and servers within 48 hours. It also said ongoing translation and editing projects would be canceled immediately.
The group encouraged viewers to support official Doraemon distribution channels, saying legal access would help protect creators’ rights and build a healthier online environment.
Many internet users expressed support for the closures, despite disappointment over losing free access to entertainment content. Some users said pirated streaming was not something to be proud of, while others called on official platforms to acquire more content so viewers could watch legally.
Under the government campaign, the Ministry of Public Security will lead investigations and prosecutions in major copyright cases. The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has been ordered to increase inspections and ensure that at least 20% more cases are handled compared with May 2025.
Authorities said the campaign will focus on high-traffic websites distributing pirated movies, music, games, and television programs in both Vietnamese and foreign languages.
The rapid shutdowns suggest that the government’s latest enforcement drive is already putting pressure on online piracy networks that have long served Vietnamese audiences seeking free access to copyrighted entertainment.
Quick Takes:
Huế Man Arrested Over Livestreams Accusing Officials of Land Grabbing
Huế police detained Mai Hoàng, owner of the Facebook account “Hoàng Mai Huế,” on May 12 for investigation under Article 331 of Việt Nam’s Penal Code, which criminalizes “abusing democratic freedoms.” Authorities accused Hoàng of repeatedly posting and livestreaming content they described as “accusatory,” “distorted,” and “insulting” toward local court officials, civil judgment enforcement officers, police, and city leaders. The case centers on his online allegations of official misconduct and “land grabbing,” adding to the government’s broader use of Article 331 against social media speech.
Hồ Chí Minh City Police Receive 33 Vietnamese Citizens Deported From U.S.
Hồ Chí Minh City police said they coordinated with other authorities at Nội Bài International Airport in Hà Nội to receive 33 Vietnamese citizens deported from the United States. One returnee with epilepsy required emergency medical care and was taken to a hospital. Authorities said they would place deportees without clear residence, family sponsors, or independent housing temporarily in social assistance facilities. Police said hundreds of Vietnamese citizens have been deported or repatriated to Hồ Chí Minh City in the first five months of 2026, mainly from the United States and Cambodia, amid tighter immigration enforcement abroad.
VinFast Plans Manufacturing Divestment in Restructuring Push
VinFast plans to transfer its domestic electric vehicle manufacturing operations and related debt to another legal entity as it abandons its target of breaking even by the end of 2026. According to a May 12 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Singapore-registered company said the restructuring aims to create a more “asset-light” and “capital-efficient” model. The plan includes transferring ownership rights to VinFast’s factories in Hải Phòng and Hà Tĩnh, shares in VinEG Green Energy Solutions, and about 182 trillion đồng in financial debt obligations.
Citizens Oppose Proposed Offense Targeting Criticism of Communist Party
Việt Nam’s Ministry of Public Security said it would keep a proposed Penal Code offense criminalizing “propaganda against the Communist Party of Vietnam,” despite public objections. According to a May 13 Ministry of Justice document, citizens Nguyễn Lê Minh Đức and Trần Lê Châu Giang warned that the provision was vague, prone to abuse, and could place the party above other legal entities. The ministry defended the proposal as necessary to protect national security and the party’s constitutional role, saying the revised draft of the Penal Code is expected to be released for public comment in July.
