Key Events:
- Police Question High School Student Due to Social Media Post Critical of the Communist Party
- Several Groups Urge the EU to Continue Designating Vietnam a ‘Non-Market Economy’
- Authorities Scrutinize Monastery Orphanage After Head Monk Praises Barefoot Pilgrim Thich Minh Tue
The police in northern Yen Bai Province on Vietnam’s National Day, Sept. 2, questioned Chu Ngoc Quang Vinh, 17, a student from Nguyen Tat Thanh Specialized High School in Yen Bai, about an “inappropriate” posting on his social media that criticized the Communist Party. Vinh’s posting has drawn massive media attention, mainly after he won the monthly prize at The Road to Mount Olympia (Đường lên đỉnh Olympia), an educational quiz show hosted for Vietnamese high school students. The annual competition winner could win a scholarship to study in Australia.
A day before, on Sept. 1, the Yen Bai High School student published a posting on Facebook to only 16 of his online friends, saying he applied to compete in the quiz show because he wanted to leave the country and live abroad. After learning and reading from Western materials, Vinh wrote that he realized the Vietnamese Communist Party is not a flawless political entity as many people were taught to think. He added that after knowing the whole truth, he discovered that everything he “had learned in school for so long was not entirely true” and that “the [Communist] Party was an evil force that only knows how to deceive people.”
The Yen Bai Provincial Police have not released the details of the questioning. Still, Vinh had reportedly removed his story and published an apology that says he “lacks awareness” of the consequences of making that speech. At the same time, the Olympia contest winner has become a target of online hate speech and harassment, with many pro-regime media influencers and state-run newspapers accusing him of being “ungrateful to the country” and “undermining educational and traditional values.”
Recently, Vietnamese celebrities who performed abroad and were pictured with the flag of the Republic of Vietnam (RVN), which bears three red stripes on a yellow banner, have also been targeted with a coordinated cyberbullying campaign. Pro-regime groups on social media have dug into the social media posts of several singers and actresses and accused them of being “unpatriotic” for performing under the RVN flag instead of Hanoi’s official yellow star and red banner flag. The RVN flag is banned from public display in Vietnam. However, it is a recognized symbol of the overseas Vietnamese communities, especially in the U.S.
In a letter, VOA News reported that a coalition of 70 human rights groups and alliances has urged the European Commission (EC) to continue treating Vietnam as a non-market economy after Hanoi previously tried to lobby the EC for an upgrade.
The letter, dated Aug. 20, set out a list of criteria explaining how the country is not qualified to be classified as a market economy. These issues range from the government’s influence in management and resource allocation to the effectiveness of bankruptcy law implementation, intellectual property rights, and financial sector transparency. It notes that these criteria act as standards for the EU to decide which country has a market economy.
The latest opposition to Vietnam’s bid to gain market economy status from the EU came after the U.S. Department of Commerce rejected a similar request from Hanoi to upgrade its status, citing an “extensive government involvement in Vietnam’s economy.”
After the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) was enacted in 2020, the Vietnamese government sought to elevate its classification to increase exports to the European market. Meanwhile, the letter also noted that the EU continued monitoring Vietnam’s dumping allegations and opened an investigation into steel imports from Southeast Asian countries in November 2023.
Minh Dao Monastery, a Buddhist temple, and orphanage located in Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province, has become a target of scrutiny by local authorities after its founder, Abbot Thich Minh Dao, commended the barefoot monk Thich Minh Tue, who became a sensation on social media for his ascetic pilgrimage across the country. His fame drew the attention of government officials and the police, who decided to crack down on his journey in June because they were afraid it could undermine the official Buddhist church, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS).
The authorities have investigated the child-rearing activities at Minh Dao Monastery after the local VBS requested an examination of this orphanage, citing that Thich Minh Dao is not a legitimate monk. Previously, the state Buddhist church also requested Thich Minh Dao to kneel in penance for his praise of Thich Minh Tue. Minh Dao said he would renounce his monastic pledge, which means the VBS no longer recognizes him as a legitimate monk.
In Vietnam, the status of a monk or a nun must be approved by the VBS, although the Constitution states that everyone has the right to freedom of religion. Abbot Minh Dao founded the monastery in 2006 and has engaged in charity work since then.
According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), the local state-run VBS administration board urged the authorities to inspect Thich Minh Dao’s monastery and orphanage.
Quick Takes:
Journalist Nguyen Vu Binh Tried in September Under Article 117
Journalist Nguyen Vu Binh is scheduled to be tried on Sept. 10 under Article 117 of the Penal Code, his sister told Project88, an advocate for freedom of expression. Binh, a former journalist and democracy activist, was arrested in late February this year after he received a summons from the police regarding his involvement in the management of a YouTube channel, TNT Media Live, which discusses social issues. In 2002, the journalist received a seven-year prison sentence under “espionage” charges for providing details of Vietnam’s human rights abuses to the U.S. Congress. Still, he was released early due to international pressure.
Le Trong Hung, who was sentenced to five years after self-nominating himself as a candidate for the National Assembly elections in 2021, started a hunger strike on Sept. 4 in Nghe An Prison No. 6 to protest the injustice of his sentence and to oppose the appointment of To Lam as the Communist Party general secretary, according to his wife, Do Le Na. Na said that her husband planned to drink water only for 50 consecutive days and refused her proposal to cut down the duration of his strike. Na added that the correctional officers didn’t allow Hung to talk about his strike, but he told her about it when the prison officers were distracted. Last year, Hung also began a 30-day hunger strike starting on Sept. 4 to demand the court open an appeals trial of his case.
Vietnam and China Coast Guards Hold Joint ‘Party and Political Affairs’ Exchange
The Vietnamese and Chinese Coast Guards on Aug. 28 held an exchange on strengthening party and political affairs in the port city of Hai Phong, VOA News reported. The exchange occurred as tensions recently escalated between the two countries in the South China Sea, with Hanoi ramping up its island-building to promote its territorial claims. Coast Guard Political Commissar Bui Quoc Oai, who led the Vietnamese Coast Guard delegation, said during the opening ceremony that “close coordination and increased exchange and sharing of experiences” are essential as both maritime law enforcement forces face many types of crimes and violations of the law in the international and regional situation.
A Pilgrimage to China for Vietnam’s New Leader
The Interpreter/ Thi Mai Anh Nguyen/ Sept. 2
“So, it was striking that on 18 August, Vietnam’s new President and General Secretary of the Communist Party, To Lam, visited China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, just two weeks after taking office.
There were the usual announcements expected from such a visit. Lam’s leadership aims to advance the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership, strengthen the Vietnam-China community of shared future, building on the legacy of his predecessor Nguyen Phu Trong.
But it was also the symbolism of Vietnam’s enduring relationship with China that stood out, framed around Ho Chi Minh’s history – and a counterpoint to talk about divergent strategic views between Vietnam and China, in particular with regard to the South China Sea.”