Key Events 

• A Book Ban in Việt Nam Exposes the Machinery of Censorship;
• Current Development Drive Leaves Citizens Fighting to Save Homes, Farms and History;
• National Exam Dispute Turns “Emancipatory Education” into an Ideological Target;
• Việt Nam Defends Press Freedom as Newspapers Disappear;
• Fortune Names Việt Nam Southeast Asia’s Breakout Growth Engine.

Việt Nam’s Book Ban Shows How Censorship Keeps History Under State Control

A book about Hồ Chí Minh has become the latest test of how far Việt Nam will go to police historical memory—and how quickly a cultural controversy can turn into a campaign of censorship, punishment, and political intimidation.

Việt Nam’s Education Ministry has ordered universities, academies, and research institutes to report whether they have invited Nguyễn Thành Nam—former FPT CEO and author of “Chuyện với Thanh – Lời kể mới về ánh sáng” (“A story with Thanh – A New Account of Light”)—to teach, lecture, speak, or participate in academic activities.