A resurgence of coronavirus in the country served to dampen proceedings, after Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong was re-elected for an ‘unprecedented’ third term.
The harsh jail terms given to three journalists this week, including prominent activist Pham Chi Dung, are just the latest in a string of sentences handed out to critics.
The inquiries into currency manipulation and furniture exports, launched before the US election, could now be paused or cancelled.
The US signed an agreement with Vietnam to assist its fishing vessels against intimidation, but it’s unlikely to extend to military support at sea.
The April 3 collision between vessels from China and Vietnam has upped the ante over discussions on a code of conduct in the waters, analysts say.
The US has identified former foe Vietnam as a strategic partner in the resource-rich waterway, most of which is claimed by China.
Retired baker Chau Van Kham has been sentenced to 12 years for ‘terrorist activities against the state’ in a trial that human rights campaigners say is part of a wave of repression.
First prosecution since closure of a legal loophole that enabled men to sexually abuse young boys without it being considered a sex crime raises hopes the country has turned a corner on child abuse.
What began as a viewing party for RuPaul’s Drag Race is fast becoming a mainstay of the Vietnamese capital’s LGBT scene. But it has not been an easy transition