Deadly Flooding Sweeps Central Việt Nam: Tens of Thousands Displaced, Crops Ruined
Key Events Severe Floods in Central Việt Nam Leave 55 Dead, Cause Widespread Damage as More Rain Approaches; Ministry of Public Security Indicts Journalist...
Beyond Patchwork Fixes in the ‘Forest of Laws’: Việt Nam’s Institutional Reform
For many years, the legal system has been developed through what might be called “patchwork fixes”—mending one spot here, adding another there—to address specific...
Việt Nam’s Proposed ‘Innovation’ Exemption Risks Shielding Corruption
A draft regulation allowing “exemption from punishment” for corruption offenders who acted from a “desire to innovate and make breakthroughs” sets a dangerous precedent....
A Nation Cannot Mature If It Clings to the Wounds of Its Past
A nation can hardly grow and move forward if it spends every day brooding over and resenting the past like a child. Recently, Hùng...
Academic Freedom Under Fire as Party Blocks Speakers at Vietnam Studies Conference in Hà Nội
Key Events Last-Minute Speaker Purge Mars International Vietnam Studies Conference; New Seat Plan Boosts Central, Military and Police Power in Việt Nam’s Next Parliament;...
Converting Gasoline Motorbikes to Electric: A ‘Green Dream’ That Could Backfire
The proposal to convert gasoline-powered motorbikes into electric vehicles is a “green” idea. But without a proper legal framework, technical standards, and social support,...
An Image of Guilt: Re-examining the Public Mug Shot in Việt Nam
The public consumption of the “mug shot”—the official photo taken by police after an arrest—has spurred both global trends and local controversy. In 2020,...
Art, Loyalty, and the State: Việt Nam’s ‘Ideological Frontline’
In the first days of September, Việt Nam’s online sphere was consumed by a “witch-hunt style showdown” involving the celebrity Trấn Thành. This public...
A Legacy of Resistance: From Kurt Tucholsky to Phạm Đoan Trang
History’s warnings are often first sounded by its satirists. Kurt Tucholsky (1890-1935) was a German-Jewish journalist, anti-militarist, and staunch critic of the German Nazi...