The Vietnamese government has significantly escalated its suppression of dissent, increasingly punishing individuals, including ordinary citizens, for peacefully expressing concerns about state policies and public officials, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released today.
Titled “We’ll All Be Arrested Soon’: Abusive Prosecutions under Vietnam’s ‘Infringing of State Interests’ Law,” the report highlights the growing misuse of Article 331 of the Vietnamese penal code. According to HRW, this vaguely worded provision criminalizes the “abuse of democratic freedoms” and has become a powerful tool to stifle public criticism.
Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at HRW, said that the Vietnamese authorities are increasingly using Article 331 to retaliate against people who speak out about poor services, corruption, or police abuse, and that the law has become a tool to punish anyone who dares to express independent opinions.
Between 2018 and February 2025, at least 124 people were convicted under Article 331, more than four times the number convicted in the previous six years. Victims include human rights activists, independent journalists, grieving family members, and ethnic minority advocates. One such case is that of Dao Ba Cuong, whose son died in police custody. After protesting in funeral clothes, Cuong was sentenced to two years in prison. Others like Vu Thi Kim Hoang and Danh Minh Quang were convicted for merely associating with or speaking about dissident causes. In January, the Vietnamese government initiated legal proceedings against prominent lawyer Tran Dinh Trien for allegedly infringing upon state interests through social media criticism.
The crackdown has sharply intensified over the years. Ahead of the Communist Party’s 13th Congress in 2021, authorities arrested and sentenced members of the Independent Journalists Association and Brotherhood for Democracy, among others. Today, over 150 political prisoners remain behind bars, with many more detained without trial. Writer Pham Thanh is one of them.
Vietnam’s international image has benefited from its growing economic clout and geopolitical relevance, especially as a manufacturing alternative to China. However, rights groups say democratic governments have turned a blind eye to Hanoi’s rights abuses.
Despite its seat on the UN Human Rights Council since January 2023, Vietnam continues to surveil critics, imprison journalists under harsh criminal provisions like articles 117 and 88, and restrict civil society participation, undermining promises made under the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.
Human Rights Watch has urged international partners to demand the release of political prisoners and the repeal of Article 331, warning that peaceful criticism may now come with a prison sentence.
