CIVICUS 2026: Worsening Repression in Tô Lâm’s Strongman Era

The consolidation of power under President and Communist Party General Secretary Tô Lâm has led to an escalation in state repression across Việt Nam. Departing from the nation’s traditional collective leadership model, this transition to a “strongman” era concentrates authority under his hands. 

Leveraging his police background, Tô Lâm has dismantled political opposition, muzzled civil society, and placed major state-owned media channels under the party’s direct control. According to the CIVICUS Monitor, which tracks these developments, Việt Nam’s civic space remains “closed,” reflecting a systematic suppression of fundamental freedoms.

However, this repression now extends beyond the country’s borders. As Việt Nam elevates its diplomatic standing with global powers, Hà Nội has expanded its transnational repression to target political exiles, religious dissidents, and human rights defenders living abroad.

This outward overreach includes an aggressive campaign to prosecute overseas critics in absentia. By securing sham domestic convictions under vague national security laws, Hà Nội manufactures a veneer of judicial credibility, effectively turning international agreements into tools to pressure host nations into extraditing protected refugees.

The Latest Developments in Freedom of Association

As documented by the CIVICUS Monitor, Việt Nam’s escalation of repression is reflected in aggressive state actions targeting freedom of association. The Vietnamese judicial system routinely weaponizes vague legal statutes to prosecute civil society leaders and independent religious groups alike.

A primary target is Dr. Nguyễn Đình Thắng, a U.S. citizen and president of the human rights group Boat People SOS (BPSOS). Following the state’s formal designation of BPSOS as a terrorist organization in April 2026, the People’s Court of Đắk Lắk Province sentenced Thắng in absentia to 11 years in prison under Article 299–Vietnam’s criminal statute penalizing terrorism and acts aimed at inciting public terror. 

CIVICUS also noted the arrest of four Cao Đài clergy and lay leaders for documenting human rights abuses online, including Trần Ngọc Sương, who remains detained under Article 117, which penalizes anti-competitive business practices and illegal market agreements.

Meanwhile, in August 2026, a Đắk Lắk court sentenced Montagnard Protestant pastor Y Nuen Ayun of the Evangelical Church of Christ in Tây Nguyên to seven and a half years in prison under Article 116 for organizing independent gatherings and “undermining national unity.”

This targeted assault on association coincides with a spike in political detentions. Fueled by state fears of a “color revolution,” the human rights group Project 88 documented 56 political arrests in 2025, doubling the figure from 2022, according to CIVICUS.

To enforce this crackdown, the state has systematically curtailed the independence of legal professionals. According to CIVICUS, Decree 109/2026, which took effect in May 2026, empowers local commune officials and police to revoke practice licenses for up to nine months and impose heavy fines for vague offenses such as “insulting” officials or advising clients to protest—a move UN Special Rapporteurs warned violates international fair trial standards. 

To secure total control, the Ministry of Public Security proposed repressive penal code revisions in August 2026. These aim to increase prison terms under Article 331, expand Article 117 to explicitly criminalize criticism of the Communist Party, and shield police from criminal liability for actions taken on duty.

Latest Developments in Freedom of Expression

Expanding its suppression of speech, the state has increasingly targeted journalists, publishers, and social media commentators who challenge official narratives; CIVICUS lists several of these instances in its latest update.

A major crackdown followed the release of “Story with Thanh: A New Account of the Light,” a book about Hồ Chí Minh. Written by tech executive Nguyễn Thành Nam in April 2026 to make Hồ Chí Minh relevant to young people, the book was quickly condemned by authorities for allegedly insulting the leadership. 

By July, police had arrested Nam, Spiderum discussion platform founder Trần Việt Anh, and three publishing officials. The government further escalated the situation by suspending the publishing house for two months, fining 23 newspapers, and disciplining over a dozen journalists for promoting the book.

Individual commentators and journalists have faced similarly harsh penalties. In July 2026, commentator Hoàng Thị Hồng Thái was sentenced to six years in prison under Article 117 for critical social media posts shared with her 118,000 followers.

Earlier in April, former political prisoner Huỳnh Ngọc Tuấn received an eight-and-a-half-year sentence for broadcasts allegedly undermining public trust. The state has even extended its reach internationally; in August 2026, exiled photojournalist Đoàn Bảo Châu, who was living in Canada, was sentenced in absentia to seven years under Article 117 for videos discussing domestic human rights. 

Meanwhile, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled in June 2026 that the 2023 arrest and imprisonment of citizen journalist Bùi Tuấn Lâm were arbitrary, urging his immediate release.

In mid-July 2026, social media platforms Threads and Facebook systematically removed public posts criticizing a massive tourism resort developed by Vingroup in Đà Nẵng over environmental concerns, citing vague copyright violations. 

Despite these repressive conditions, ordinary citizens continue to express their opposition. In Hà Nội, hundreds of residents organized silent prayer vigils, wore matching t-shirts, and hung cautious banners to protest a massive Red River redevelopment project that threatens to displace a quarter of a million people.

Conclusion

The systemic escalation of repression in Việt Nam exposes the contradictions at the heart of Tô Lâm’s strongman presidency. 

While he presents a modern, business-friendly image to the international community in order to secure foreign investment and drive economic growth, the reality at home is quite different. 

Tô Lâm’s reliance on police-state tactics, the elimination of political rivals, and the suppression of independent media have isolated the top leadership within an echo chamber.

By prosecuting foreign citizens and recognized refugees, Việt Nam’s cross-border campaign mocks the asylum frameworks of Western democracies, thereby raising serious questions about the trust that supposedly underlies these diplomatic ties.

A governance model that relies on absolute control while blocking all public feedback remains vulnerable to policy failures. Yet, the resilience of the Vietnamese people continues to offer a small glimmer of hope. Despite the constant threat of police retaliation, the persistence of silent community vigils in the capital, the steadfast commitment of independent religious groups, and the unyielding advocacy of exiled activists demonstrate that the desire for basic human dignity and free expression in the country cannot be completely extinguished.

---

The CIVICUS update can be accessed here.