(illustrative photo: VOV)

The EU’s report says that the civil society space in Vietnam is narrowing and calls on Vietnam to release individuals who have been detained for exercising their right to free expression.

Biased comments

Associate Professor Dr. Hoang Hung Hai, Deputy Director of the Institute of Human Rights, says that in Vietnam there is no group of human rights activists, but every Vietnamese citizen has the obligation to promote and protect human rights. Like other countries, Vietnam’s legal system protects human rights and fights against activities that violate human rights. All acts of human rights abuse must be handled by the law. Vietnam supports actions that respect and protect human rights. It’s not true to say that human right activists are being suppressed in Vietnam. It’s not consistent with the reality in Vietnam.

Vietnam always cares for and ensures freedom of speech and press for all citizens. These rights must be practiced in line with the law. The law does not allow freedom of speech to be used to insult others’ honor, dignity, and reputation.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said: “Protecting and promoting human rights is Vietnam's consistent policy. Vietnam always considers people as the center and driving force of the renewal process and national socio-economic development. Vietnam always strives to improve people’s lives and ensure the enjoyment of basic human rights and freedom being recognized in the Constitution and laws. Vietnam's efforts and achievements in ensuring human rights are widely recognized and appreciated by the international community.”

Vivid reality

Specific actions to enforce human rights in Vietnam have been implemented according to the conventions that Vietnam has signed. Vietnam has ratified and joined 7 of 9 basic UN Conventions on human rights and 25 Conventions of the International Labor Organization.

Compared to many countries, Vietnam is not inferior in the number of signed Conventions. The US is still the only country in the world that has not ratified the 1989 UN Convention of the Rights of the Child and the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

At the dialogue on Vietnam's National Report at the UN Human Rights Council’s 4th cycle of the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva, Switzerland, in May, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet said that, from being one of the poorest countries in the world, Vietnam has become one of the fastest growing economies.

From 1989 to 2023, Vietnam's GDP per capita increased 40-fold. In the three decades since 1993 more than 40 million Vietnamese people have escaped poverty. The rapid development of mass media, the Internet, and social networks in Vietnam has strengthened freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and the right to access information. Vietnam now has more than 78 million Internet users and its 4G network now covers 99.8% of the population.

Vietnam's efforts to ensure human rights have been recognized internationally. President of the World Peace Council, Pallab Sengupta, said during his visit to Vietnam in May, that the Vietnamese government always listens to the voices of the people to meet their needs and improve their life." She appreciated Vietnam’s efforts in ensuring human rights. There are challenges, but clearly, the Vietnamese Party and State are very careful and trying to resolve and overcome these difficulties. said Sengupta.

 Human rights are a universal issue. Each nation has its own standards and regulations suiting its cultural and historical characteristics. Imposing one country's criteria on another country is inappropriate and constitutes interference in the other country's internal affairs, which infringes UN regulations. It is regrettable that the EU continues to make biased comments, based on false information, which does not accurately reflect the reality in Vietnam.