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Key Events

State Media Deletes Reports on Party Social Media Controls;

Manila and Hà Nội Deepen Maritime Cooperation as China Watches;

Japan, Việt Nam Eye Joint Fast Landing Craft Project;

Representative Derek Trần Secures House Support for Việt Nam Rights Dialogue;

Chinese Firms Fuel Việt Nam’s Export Boom to the US.

News Outlets Quietly Remove Reports on Party Online Surveillance

Several Vietnamese state-controlled news outlets have quietly removed or altered reports stating that Communist Party authorities had ordered closer monitoring of the social-media accounts of government officials and Party members, according to Luật Khoa Magazine.

On July 16, outlets including Lao Động, Tiền Phong, and the news aggregator Báo Mới reported that Central Steering Committee 35 had directed Party organizations to accelerate the review and management of websites and social media accounts operated by officials and party members.

Central Steering Committee 35 is responsible for protecting the Communist Party of Vietnam’s ideological foundation and countering views it considers “wrongful” or “hostile,” particularly online.

The references quickly disappeared. Headlines were changed and passages describing the management of individual accounts were deleted, Luật Khoa reported. The revised articles referred only broadly to future efforts to defend the party’s ideology and monitor online information.

Pháp Luật Plus, a publication affiliated with the Ministry of Justice’s Vietnam Law Newspaper, reportedly removed its article entirely. Meanwhile, Vietnam.vn, operated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, and the Journal of Intellectual Property and Creativity, retained reports containing the original account-monitoring language.

The reason for the alterations remains unknown. None of the affected outlets published a correction or explained when or why the material was changed. Luật Khoa said it contacted Lao Động, Tiền Phong, and Báo Mới but had received no response by the time of its publication on July 17.

No publicly available Communist Party regulation currently requires officials or party members to declare their social-media usernames for official monitoring. State media reports about the latest directive cited Plan No. 06-KH/BCĐTW, but the plan’s full text has not been released.

Existing disciplinary rules nevertheless impose strict controls on party members’ public statements. Article 28 of Regulation 69-QĐ/TW , issued in July 2022, allows penalties ranging from reprimand to expulsion. Posting content opposing party policies or state laws on social media can result in removal from the party.

The reported directive followed a July 13 Politburo order calling for stronger discipline over officials’ statements and conduct online. Civil-society advocate Nguyễn Quang A told Luật Khoa that the measures appeared designed to expand control over party members and were consistent with requiring them to disclose their accounts.

Việt Nam has pursued similar measures before. In 2018, Party authorities in Cái Răng District, then part of Cần Thơ City, ordered local officials and members to list their Facebook, Zalo, and other accounts, together with the purpose for which each was used.

Party members have also faced expulsion over online speech. Former Đà Nẵng researcher Trần Đức Anh Sơn was expelled in 2019 over Facebook posts deemed untrue or inconsistent with official positions. In 2020, military lecturer Bùi Tiến Lợi was expelled for online statements authorities said contradicted party and state policies.

The unexplained deletions leave two unanswered questions: whether the account-monitoring plan remains in force and why state media initially reported a directive they subsequently removed from public view.

Philippines-Việt Nam Maritime Pact Tests China’s South China Sea Strategy

The Philippines and Việt Nam have strengthened maritime cooperation in the South China Sea, signaling greater coordination between two Southeast Asian states contesting Beijing’s sweeping territorial claims, the South China Morning Post reports . Analysts, however, say the agreement’s immediate impact may be more symbolic than operational.

The initiative was announced during Vietnamese President Tô Lâm’s state visit to Manila in June, when the two countries elevated their relationship to an “enhanced strategic partnership.” Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said peace, regional stability, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea remained “non-negotiable.”

Manila and Hà Nội agreed to establish a hotline and improve coordination between their coast guards. The measures are intended to prevent misunderstandings and accidental confrontations in disputed waters, where vessels from China and Southeast Asian claimant states increasingly operate in close proximity.

The agreement was reached shortly before the 10th anniversary of a landmark 2016 arbitral ruling in The Hague. The tribunal rejected the legal basis for many of China’s expansive maritime claims. Beijing refused to participate in the proceedings and continues to dismiss the ruling as invalid.

Closer Philippine-Vietnamese cooperation could complicate China’s long-standing preference for negotiating separately with individual claimant states. Joint positions or practical coordination between Manila and Hà Nội could blunt Beijing’s ability to use its economic and military leverage in one-on-one negotiations.

The two Southeast Asian countries nevertheless approach China differently. The Philippines, a treaty ally of the United States, has become increasingly outspoken about confrontations with Chinese vessels and regularly publicizes incidents at sea. Việt Nam also opposes China’s claims but generally follows a more cautious strategy because of its close political relationship and extensive economic ties with Beijing.

Manila and Hà Nội also have overlapping claims of their own in the Spratly Islands. Their new cooperation therefore does not amount to a formal alliance against China or resolve the broader territorial disputes among South China Sea claimants.

The agreement’s practical value will depend on whether the hotline becomes operational, whether the coast guards establish effective procedures, or whether both governments are willing to coordinate during an actual confrontation. Without regular exercises, information-sharing arrangements, or a binding mutual-defense commitment, its immediate deterrent effect is likely to remain limited.

Still, the pact carries strategic significance. It demonstrates that Southeast Asian claimant states can cooperate despite their differences and place international law at the center of their maritime policies. Even if primarily symbolic, closer ties between Manila and Hà Nội could gradually strengthen regional resistance to Beijing’s effort to manage South China Sea disputes through bilateral negotiations.

Japan and Việt Nam Consider Joint Development of Fast Landing Craft

Japan and Việt Nam have agreed to begin discussions on jointly developing and producing fast landing craft, marking a significant expansion of defense-industrial cooperation between the two countries, Naval News reports .

The agreement followed talks in Tokyo on July 13 between Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Việt Nam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, Gen. Phan Văn Giang. Japan’s Ministry of Defense announced the initiative on July 15.

Koizumi said speedy landing craft could rapidly carry personnel and supplies from transport ships offshore to beaches. Their greater mobility compared with conventional landing vessels could support amphibious operations and disaster-relief missions. Working-level officials will consider technical details.

Nearly every major aspect of the proposed vessel remains undecided. Neither government has disclosed its displacement, payload, propulsion system, speed, development timetable, participating shipbuilders, or the division of industrial work between Japan and Việt Nam.

It is also unclear whether the project would involve an air-cushion landing craft, a conventional waterjet-powered vessel, or an entirely new design. Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force currently operates six U.S.-built Landing Craft Air Cushion vessels aboard its three Ōsumi-class landing ships. These crafts transport troops, vehicles, and heavy equipment from ships to shore.

Japan is separately developing the Caimen Japan next-generation high-speed landing craft. In February 2025, the country’s Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency awarded a contract to Japan Marine United and British maritime design company BMT.

The approximately 30-meter Caimen Japan uses a tri-bow hull and is expected to reach speeds above 20 knots. BMT is providing the design, while Japan Marine United is responsible for production design and construction in Japan.

Naval News assessed that Caimen Japan appears to be the Japanese program most readily available for export or collaborative development. Japan Marine United has already explored potential sales to regional countries, including the Philippines. However, Tokyo and Hà Nội have not confirmed any connection between Caimen Japan and the proposed bilateral project.

Koizumi also addressed concerns about possible technology leaks because of Việt Nam’s close relationship with China. He said Japan would protect the technologies of participating companies through strict screening, proper information management, and coordination with the Vietnamese government.

For Việt Nam, cooperation could advance its long-term effort to strengthen domestic defense production through local manufacturing and technology transfers. For Japan, the project could represent a shift from exporting completed defense systems to jointly developing equipment with trusted Indo-Pacific partners.

The two ministers also reaffirmed the importance of freedom of navigation, international law, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea amid tensions in the East and South China seas.

US House Backs Funding for Human Rights Dialogue With Việt Nam

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved an amendment directing State Department funding for the annual U.S.-Việt Nam Human Rights Dialogue as lawmakers seek to increase pressure on Hà Nội over restrictions on political expression, journalism, and religious activity.

The amendment, introduced by Democratic Rep. Derek Trần of California, was included in the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act for fiscal 2027. The broader spending bill, H.R. 8595, passed the House on July 16 by a vote of 217-209.

Trần’s office said the provision would support the bilateral dialogue as a diplomatic mechanism for pressing the Vietnamese government to address alleged human rights violations, including the imprisonment of journalists, political dissidents, and religious leaders.

The House’s passage does not make the measure law. The legislation must also clear the Senate and be signed by the president, potentially after negotiations to reconcile differences between the two chambers’ appropriations proposals.

Trần called on the State Department to schedule the next human rights dialogue as soon as possible. He said the United States had a responsibility to respond to the Vietnamese government’s restrictions on freedom of speech, press freedom, and peaceful political expression.

The congressman specifically raised the case of Lê Hữu Minh Tuấn, a Vietnamese journalist imprisoned by the authorities. Trần serves as Tuấn’s congressional sponsor through the Defending Freedoms Project, an initiative of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission that connects members of Congress with prisoners of conscience around the world.

The Vietnamese authorities arrested Tuấn in 2020 and later convicted him of disseminating information deemed hostile to the state. Human rights groups and supporters describe him as a prisoner of conscience and have called for his release.

Trần is the first Vietnamese American elected to represent Orange County’s Little Saigon, home to one of the largest Vietnamese communities outside Việt Nam. Human rights conditions in Việt Nam remain an important political issue among many members of the diaspora.

In addition to his appropriations amendment, Trần has co-led the bipartisan Vietnam Human Rights Act, H.R. 3122. That legislation seeks to impose accountability measures on Vietnamese officials accused of abuses and incorporate human rights and fair-trade priorities into the broader U.S.-Việt Nam relationship.

The amendment comes as Washington continues to expand strategic and economic cooperation with Hà Nội, particularly amid competition with China in the Indo-Pacific. Its inclusion signals that some lawmakers want human rights concerns to remain part of the bilateral agenda even as security and trade ties deepen.

Chinese Firms Drive Growing Share of Việt Nam’s US Export Boom

Chinese-owned manufacturers have played a major role in Việt Nam’s rapidly expanding exports to the United States, suggesting that American tariffs have shifted production out of China without fully reducing U.S. dependence on Chinese supply chains, according to new Federal Reserve research.

U.S. imports from Việt Nam tripled between the 2018-2019 period and the U.S.-China tariff increases. During the same period, U.S. imports directly from China declined, reinforcing Việt Nam’s position as a leading beneficiary of trade diversion.

However, Federal Reserve economists Chris A. Avalos, Trang Hoang and Eva Van Leemput found that the gains did not primarily flow to domestically owned Vietnamese companies. Instead, Chinese firms increasingly established or expanded factories in Việt Nam to preserve access to the U.S. market.

Chinese companies’ share of Việt Nam’s exports to the United States more than doubled, rising from about 11% in 2018-2019 to 25% between 2020 and 2023. Over the same periods, the share of domestic Vietnamese firms fell from approximately 33% to 23%. Other foreign-owned companies remained the largest exporters, although their share slipped from 56% to 52%.

The number of Chinese-owned companies operating in Việt Nam increased from 1,287 in 2018 to 2,864 in 2023, a rise of more than 122%. By 2023, they represented 15% of all foreign-owned firms in the country, up from 9% five years earlier.

Chinese greenfield investment also accelerated following the tariff increases. From 2018 through 2025, China emerged as Việt Nam’s largest source of announced manufacturing investment, particularly in industrial goods and high-tech electronics. The study’s definition of Chinese investment includes Hong Kong.

The researchers said that Việt Nam’s export growth coincided with a disproportionate rise in imports from China. Chinese-owned companies’ share of Việt Nam’s imports from China doubled from roughly 11% in 2018-2019 to 22% in 2020-2023.

Newly established foreign companies—including firms not owned by Chinese investors—were also more dependent on Chinese components than longer-established businesses. This indicates that manufacturers relocated final-stage production to Việt Nam while continuing to purchase intermediate inputs through supplier networks in China.

The analysis excluded shipments identified as possible transshipments, or Chinese products routed through Việt Nam with limited processing. The researchers said existing evidence suggests such rerouting represents a relatively small part of the overall trade shift.

The findings indicate that U.S. tariffs altered where goods were assembled but did not necessarily dismantle China-centered supply chains. Bilateral trade figures may therefore overstate how successfully U.S. policy has reduced economic dependence on China, the researchers concluded.

Quick Takes:

Nguyễn Thành Nam Detained Before Official Announcement

Luật Khoa Magazine reported that Nguyễn Thành Nam was taken into police custody on June 27, 10 days before Việt Nam Television first acknowledged his detention. Two anonymous sources familiar with Nam and FPT employees said he was detained at mathematician Ngô Bảo Châu’s birthday gathering in Hà Nội. Police later listed July 2 and July 7 as the dates for initiating proceedings, filing charges, and ordering detention. An unnamed lawyer said the earlier custody could have been an emergency hold permitted for up to nine days. Hà Nội police did not clarify the timeline when contacted by reporters.

Government Drops Digital Citizen Ranking Plan

Việt Nam has removed a proposed digital citizen scoring and ranking system from a new government resolution taking effect Aug. 15. The earlier draft would have classified people as Active, Basic, or Unranked based on their use of the VNeID identification app. The final policy instead offers fee reductions or exemptions to citizens who integrate five categories of personal information and complete required administrative procedures through VNeID. Eligibility levels will appear in users’ electronic identity accounts and may be shared with public-service systems upon request. The resolution remains effective through Feb. 28, 2027, and preserves alternative access to government services.

China Nears Completion of Antelope Reef Expansion

Satellite imagery suggests China’s land reclamation at Antelope Reef in the disputed Paracel Islands is nearing completion and entering a heavy construction phase, The South China Morning Post reports . Researchers said dredgers were replaced by cargo barges in June, while storage silos, a concrete plant, and a reinforced quay appeared on the reclaimed feature. An estimated 603 hectares have been added, making the reef Beijing’s largest artificial island in the Paracels. China says the work supports residents, economic development, and environmental restoration. Analysts say a military outpost could expand surveillance of Việt Nam’s coast and strengthen Beijing’s control of the northern South China Sea and nearby waters.

Việt Nam Probes $11 Million Diamond Smuggling Ring

Vietnamese police are investigating an international syndicate accused of smuggling 28,000 diamonds worth nearly $11 million through Hong Kong from India, AFP News reports . More than 30 people have been arrested, including Đặng Ngọc Thảo, former director of PNJ Laboratory, a subsidiary of Phú Nhuận Jewelry. Authorities say Thảo falsely certified imported gems, removed laser inscriptions, and replaced them with PNJ markings. Raids at more than 20 properties yielded 1,239 diamonds and undocumented jewelry. PNJ said the case concerned individual liability and maintained its certified diamonds are traceable. The company’s shares have fallen more than 25% since the arrests began in early July.