Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday reported that Vietnam has intensified arrests of perceived government critics in the weeks leading up to the 14th Communist Party Congress, set to open on January 19, 2026.
“It’s that time again for escalating arrests and jailing prominent critics ahead of Vietnam’s Communist Party Congress. Not only does the government block citizens from choosing their own leaders, but the authorities gag those they think might complain about the process,” said Patricia Gossman, senior associate Asia director at HRW.
On January 7, Hanoi police arrested blogger Hoang Thi Hong Thai over social media posts critical of the government, which had attracted thousands of views. Authorities have long targeted Hoang for her online criticism of the state and support for rights activists. Since the mid-2010s, she has published hundreds of posts on sociopolitical issues. Police barred her from leaving Vietnam in April 2025, repeatedly summoned and interrogated her about her writing, and threatened her with arrest.
In June, she publicly criticized Penal Code articles 117 and 331 as violating constitutional protections for freedom of expression, urging lawmakers to amend or repeal them. On the eve of her arrest, she described years of harassment linked to her speech, writing that her family faced forced moves, intimidation, and economic pressure, adding that despite the cost, she never abandoned “[the principles of] justice and human rights” in her writing.
Since December 2025, courts have convicted several other dissidents, including journalists, and imposed harsh prison sentences in cases tied to peaceful expression and online commentary. Among them is prominent human rights lawyer Nguyen Van Dai, who received a 17-year prison sentence after a court found him guilty of criticizing the government. Authorities have also prosecuted journalist Nguyen Lan Thang on accusations of “conducting anti-state propaganda.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) echoed this sentiment, urging authorities to roll back the crackdown on independent media and release imprisoned journalists ahead of the Communist Party Congress. “These draconian sentences show Vietnam intends to silence critical reporting at all costs ahead of the Party Congress,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative, adding that authorities should overturn the convictions and stop using vague laws to criminalize journalism.
The CPJ’s call comes after Vietnam’s parliament passed amendments to the press law on December 10 that tightened restrictions on information gathering and sharing and weakened protections for source confidentiality. Since then, authorities have arrested several people for sharing news articles critical of the government, according to local media.
HRW has previously urged UN member states to use the Human Rights Committee review of Vietnam’s compliance with civil and political rights to pressure the government to end its crackdown on dissenting speech and other fundamental freedoms. The organization called for the release of all political prisoners and the repeal of laws that criminalize peaceful political expression.
