Key Events
- Việt Nam Delegation Pursues Trade, Defense, and Investment Ties in New York;
- Lào Cai Provincial Court Jails Three Land Petitioners for Disturbing Public Order;
- Government Seeks Land Law Feedback Through VNeID as Resettlement Changes Draw Scrutiny;
- Canada and Việt Nam Deepen Ties Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure;
- 36 Arrests, 14 Cannabis Farms—and a Search for Vietnamese Trafficking Victims in Scotland.
Tô Lâm Pursues U.S. Trade Deal as Delegation Courts Investors in U.S.
Việt Nam’s Communist Party leader and President Tô Lâm used his New York visit to pursue a U.S. trade agreement, expand defense cooperation, and court American investment, with senior security officials taking prominent roles in the delegation’s economic agenda.
Speaking to Bloomberg TV on Sept. 21, Lâm said a tariff agreement was “very close” and rejected allegations that Việt Nam facilitates the rerouting of Chinese goods. He proposed buying more American aircraft, nuclear power technology, and road and rail infrastructure to narrow the trade imbalance. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer also signaled progress during their meeting that day.
The stakes are substantial: Việt Nam’s surplus with its largest export market reached $60.4 billion in the first five months of 2026. Washington’s concerns encompass transshipment, intellectual property, and industrial overcapacity. Bloomberg previously reported U.S. inspections of factories linked to China, while noting that officials had found no substantial evidence of illegal transshipment at that time.
State media reportedly omitted Lâm’s transshipment denial and proposed American purchases from their interview coverage. His spending plans and references to U.S. policy restrictions remain unspecified; the interview’s English voice-over also prevents verification of his exact Vietnamese wording.
On Sept. 22, Lâm met acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hùng Cao, urging completion of trade negotiations and broader cooperation in semiconductors, energy, technology, and supply chains. According to the Việt Nam government, Cao supported stronger maritime security cooperation, capacity building, and efforts to address the war’s consequences.
Cao, who left Việt Nam as a child refugee in 1975, also met Defense Minister Phan Văn Giang. Their discussions included locating, recovering, and identifying the remains of American and Vietnamese service members, underscoring the continuing importance of wartime reconciliation to bilateral defense ties.
Lâm identified addressing the war’s aftermath as a defense priority. Cao expressed support for a strong, independent, and prosperous Việt Nam, while both sides emphasized developing their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership through practical bilateral cooperation.
Public Security Minister Lương Tam Quang met representatives of BlackRock and Cantor Fitzgerald on Sept. 22. He sought long-term financing for infrastructure, financial markets, and digital transformation, and he promoted a green transition. Quang also met with representatives of The Asia Group and AMECOM.
Those engagements illustrate the ministry’s expanding economic remit. In late August, it assumed the standing-agency role for Steering Committee 57, covering science, technology, innovation, digital transformation, data, cybersecurity, and semiconductors, previously held by the Party Central Committee’s Office.
BlackRock is the world’s largest asset manager. Brandon Lutnick, son of U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, chairs Cantor Fitzgerald. The outreach followed Quang’s ministry’s meetings with the Japanese logistics company Yamato about Gia Bình Airport in July and 14 American companies in August.
The delegation arrived Sept. 20 for the 81st U.N. General Assembly’s high-level debate and bilateral meetings. Lâm also met UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Sept. 23, discussing Việt Nam’s role in multilateral cooperation. The delegation departed New York that afternoon for Canada, leaving the trade agreement’s final terms and proposed purchases unresolved.
Lào Cai Province Sentences Three Land Petitioners to 12–18 Months in Prison
Three men who pursued complaints over land and state benefits have received prison sentences of 12 to 18 months in Lào Cai Province. The sentencing followed the prosecution of the three for disturbing public order, leaving their grievances about land issues unanswered.
At a first-instance trial on Sept. 22, Regional People’s Court No. 1 sentenced Đỗ Văn Tiếp, born in 1956, and Đinh Văn Hòa, born in 1967, to 18 months each. Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, also born in 1967, received 12 months. All three were convicted under Article 318 of the Penal Code.
Article 318 criminalizes disturbing public order when it adversely affects security, order, or public safety, or involves qualifying repeat violations, with penalties ranging from fines and non-custodial correction to seven years’ imprisonment in aggravated cases.
According to the indictment described by state media, the men repeatedly submitted complaints and visited provincial government offices and police reception centers over land issues and benefits for people recognized for meritorious service to the country.
Prosecutors alleged that Tiếp and Hòa brought others to the provincial government’s citizen reception office on Sept. 15, 2025, where they displayed banners and made false statements insulting national and local leaders. Hùng was accused of livestreaming the gathering on Facebook, attracting substantial online attention and harming local security and order.
The authorities maintained that they had already addressed the complaints and that the men refused to accept the outcomes. Công an Nhân dân (The People’s Police Newspaper) said officials had provided written responses about the issue, held public meetings, and explained relevant laws.
However, Luật Khoa (The Vietnamese Magazine’s sister publication that publishes in the Vietnamese language) reported that the specific complaints, the substance of the authorities’ responses, and the reasons the men rejected those responses remained unclear. Furthermore, the public account also did not specify the allegedly insulting statements.
Luật Khoa sought clarification from the Lào Cai police, prosecutors, and Regional People’s Court No. 1, but published its report on Sept. 25 before receiving any response.
Provincial police portrayed the sentences as a warning to people they accused of exploiting complaint procedures to disrupt public order, according to Luật Khoa. They urged residents to exercise their rights “within the law.”
Vietnamese legislation explicitly protects complainants. Article 6 of the Law on Complaints prohibits obstructing, harassing, threatening, or retaliating against people exercising that right. Article 8 of the Law on Denunciations similarly prohibits obstruction and harassment. The complaints law also provides procedures for challenging an initial resolution or pursuing an administrative lawsuit.
Luật Khoa placed the case within a broader pattern of criminal prosecutions involving citizens who petition authorities, including cases brought under Article 331, concerning abuse of democratic freedoms. These three men, however, were convicted under the separate public-order provision, Article 318.
Government Seeks Land Law Feedback on VNeID Amid Concerns Over Unclear Disclosures
Việt Nam has opened public consultation on Land Law amendments through its VNeID identification app, but Luật Khoa reports that the survey does not clearly explain changes affecting compensation, resettlement, and state powers appropriating land.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Ministry of Public Security are coordinating the exercise. Residents can comment from Sept. 23 through Oct. 7, with submissions scheduled to reach the agriculture ministry on Oct. 9. Participation requires logging into VNeID using a citizen identification number.
Users can select full support, support with comments, or opposition to the bill. According to Luật Khoa, those supporting the draft with comments can address eight policy topics or the bill overall. Those opposing it can submit only general comments on the entire bill.
The app includes the full draft and a separate consultation document summarizing the eight topics. Luật Khoa argues that the presentation inadequately highlights proposals allowing acquisition before compensation and resettlement, land requisition without written documentation, and the removal of procedural requirements from the law.
The consultation document’s third topic covers compensation, assistance, resettlement, and land acquisition. Its explanation mentions allowing acquisition before resettlement is completed and moving procedures outside the statute, framing these changes as procedural flexibility. It proposes retaining core principles and powers while assigning detailed procedures to the government.
The same section outlines expanded acquisition powers, including taking remaining land after agreements have been reached with a majority, acquiring areas around infrastructure for auction, and taking small, unusable parcels at residents’ request.
It also describes a shift toward rebuilding residents’ lives, including infrastructure, livelihoods, and assessments of satisfaction. People losing residential land would receive priority for resettlement within their communities. These objectives appear alongside the proposed relaxation of requirements governing when land can be acquired.
The document references individual draft articles and summarizes their content, rather than reproducing their full legal wording. The distinction matters because the summary presents policy objectives together, while residents must consult the separate draft to examine the operative provisions.
The timetable is shorter than the consultation for the legislation adopted in 2024. Government records indicate that earlier exercise ran from Jan. 3 through March 15, 2023, approximately two and a half months.
The current Land Law was adopted on Jan. 18, 2024, and took effect Aug. 1 that year. According to Luật Khoa, lawmakers added the revision to the legislative program on June 26, 2026. Consideration and passage are expected in October.
Canada Wants Closer Ties With Việt Nam. What About Human Rights?
Canada and Việt Nam elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership during President and Communist Party leader Tô Lâm’s Sept. 24 state visit to Ottawa, as both countries seek broader trade relationships amid pressure from American tariffs.
Prime Minister Mark Carney met Lâm to discuss investment, energy, and technology cooperation. Governor General Louise Arbour hosted the state visit, which CBC described as Canada’s first of 2026.
The diplomatic welcome reflected growing commercial ties. Bilateral trade reached C$20.6 billion in 2025, according to CBC. Việt Nam is Canada’s largest merchandise trading partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and merchandise trade has doubled over five years, the Canadian government said.
Experts interviewed by CBC portrayed the relationship as a natural fit between two middle powers seeking greater economic resilience while living alongside larger neighbors: Canada beside the United States and Việt Nam beside China.
Julie Nguyen, chair of Canada-ASEAN Initiatives at York University’s Centre for Asian Research, said Việt Nam’s ambition to become a high-income country by 2045 creates opportunities for Canadian advanced manufacturing, technology, and artificial intelligence expertise.
Energy is another growth area. Jeff Nankivell, president of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, told CBC that Việt Nam’s expanding economy could create demand for Canadian liquefied natural gas, crude oil, and nuclear technology.
Following the talks, Carney’s office announced four new or renewed memorandums covering conventional and clean energy, maritime transport, environmental cooperation, and food safety. The leaders also expanded their air transport agreement to permit direct passenger and cargo flights.
Both governments want to conclude negotiations on a Canada-ASEAN free trade agreement this year. Ottawa says the pact could add nearly C$2 billion to Canada’s economy and support almost 14,000 jobs.
The closer relationship also faces scrutiny over human rights. Before the visit, Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Carney and Arbour to confront Lâm over the imprisonment of peaceful critics and failure to deliver promised reforms.
HRW said Việt Nam held more than 160 political prisoners and had sentenced at least 28 activists during the first nine months of 2026. It called for the release of people jailed for peacefully exercising fundamental rights.
CBC also highlighted Việt Nam’s ties with Russia and North Korea as a complication for Ottawa. Nankivell argued that engagement could strengthen Canada’s ability to advocate for rights, giving the relationship significance beyond commerce as the two governments pursue a wider diplomatic and economic partnership.
Scottish Police Arrest 36 in Raids Targeting Suspected Vietnamese Trafficking Network
Police in Scotland arrested 36 people and uncovered 14 cannabis-growing operations during coordinated raids targeting a suspected Vietnamese organized crime network linked to human trafficking, drug production, and financial crime.
About 300 officers participated in the Sept. 23 operation. Police searched or checked 47 addresses across Aberdeen, Dundee, Falkirk, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, Midlothian, and the Scottish Borders. Arrests also took place in Birmingham, England.
Police Scotland alleges that the network operates across Britain and internationally, with activities spanning trafficking, fraud, money laundering, and organized immigration crime. Investigators are also examining whether some people arrested were themselves trafficking victims.
The investigation developed after police linked Vietnamese criminals to 150 cannabis farms discovered in Scotland in 2025, according to the BBC report, carried out by Yahoo News. That earlier enforcement resulted in about 120 arrests and the seizure of drugs valued at £26 million.
Further inquiries connected one group to roughly a third of those farms. Officers then spent months preparing the simultaneous raids, aiming to disrupt the suspected organizers rather than pursue individual growing operations separately.
Chief Constable Jo Farrell described the enforcement action as Police Scotland’s largest and most coordinated human trafficking operation. Addressing the Scottish Police Authority on Sept. 24, she said the cannabis farms uncovered had an estimated value of around £3 million.
Officers also recovered cash, identity documents, and digital devices for examination. Farrell said criminal proceedings were active and police would continue working with prosecutors as the investigation progressed.
The operation involved the National Crime Agency, Home Office, and HM Revenue and Customs, alongside local and specialist Scottish officers. National Crime Agency personnel based in Hà Nội have been coordinating with the authorities in Việt Nam.
Safeguarding potential victims remains a part of the response. Farrell said the charity Justice and Care worked alongside police to support vulnerable people affected by trafficking and exploitation.
Detective Superintendent Stevie Bertram, who leads Police Scotland’s national human trafficking unit, said exploitation can remain hidden within communities and can involve people legally resident in the country, according to separate reporting by the Morning Star.
The Scottish government welcomed the operation and said tackling trafficking requires national and international cooperation, prosecution of offenders, and support for victims.
Police said their next steps include examining phones, records, and other evidence to identify exploitation. The arrests mark a new stage in the investigation, and it remains essential to determine each person’s role, including whether they were coerced.
Quick Takes:
Hà Nội Opens Trial Over Alleged $519 Million Transfer Scheme to China
The Hà Nội’s People’s Court opened a trial Sept. 23 for 12 defendants in a case involving the alleged illegal transfer of $519 million to China, according to The Star, a Malaysian English-language daily newspaper and news website.
Prosecutors allege that Trần Thế Mạnh, 44, directed the forgery of 3,270 trade contracts and appendices to facilitate transfers between November 2021 and May 2023. The case involves allegations of smuggling, illegal cross-border currency transfers, document forgery, and tax evasion.
Investigators said the network used company accounts and imported paperwork to make payments appear legitimate. They found no evidence that bank officials colluded in the scheme or committed misconduct warranting prosecution.
Questions Surround Pastor A Ga’s Scheduled Trial in Absentia
Uncertainty surrounds whether Pastor A Ga’s trial in absentia took place Sept. 22 at the Gia Lai Provincial People’s Court, The Vietnamese Magazine reported.
The religious freedom advocate faces charges of organizing for people to flee abroad under Article 349 of Việt Nam’s Criminal Code. His family received notice just four days before the scheduled hearing.
Court documents identify him as “A Ganh,” a name he says he has never used. Calls from Luật Khoa to the court went unanswered Sept. 23.
A Ga said neither his family nor other invited individuals attended. The court previously canceled a July 31 hearing.
Tô Lâm Says U.S.-Việt Nam Trade Deal Could Be Signed Soon
Tô Lâm said Việt Nam and the United States could soon sign a trade agreement following positive negotiations, Reuters reported, citing a Sept. 22 Vietnamese government statement.
The Vietnamese leader met U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in New York, urging Washington to address unresolved trade issues, including Section 301 investigations.
Lâm said Việt Nam had increased purchases of American goods to help narrow its trade surplus with its largest export market.
According to the statement, Greer said negotiators had made substantial progress toward a final agreement. The government said a deal would support stable economic, trade, and investment ties bilaterally.
Hà Nội Residents Struggle to Build or Sell Homes Amid Red River Project Uncertainty
Residents in Hà Nội’s planned Red River Scenic Boulevard project area say construction restrictions and uncertainty over relocation have left them unable to build or sell homes.
Mê Linh Commune suspended land-related administrative procedures on Sept. 17, following Hồng Hà Ward’s earlier suspension of construction permits.
Residents told Luật Khoa that buyers had disappeared amid unanswered questions about land acquisition, compensation, and resettlement. Local authorities did not respond to the publication’s inquiries.
The proposed $28 billion development spans 16 communes and wards and is expected to affect about 200,000 people, fueling fears of prolonged uncertainty for residents.
