Vietnam’s trade boom shouldn’t excuse Its human rights crackdown

There are real opportunities for Vietnam’s trading partners to insist that it honor its obligations under international human rights law. 

Vietnam is racing to become the world’s next “tiger economy,” seizing the opportunities opened by U.S. tariffs on China — and the world is welcoming it with open arms. 

Following the announcement of a 20 percent tariff on Vietnam, the U.S. has attempted to remake its trade with the country. Recently a framework that maintains the tariff and allows for preferential market access for U.S. exports was announced. The U.S. has also expanded trade negotiations with Vietnam in an effort to diversify its tech supply chain. And in May the Trump family broke ground on a $1.5 billion real estate project in the country, including hotels and a golf resort. 

At the same time, Vietnam is moving away from its fraught relationship with the U.S. and growing closer with regimes like Russia, North Korea, and China. BRICS, an economic bloc that includes China and Russia, has also named it a “partner country.”

The problem with all this? In the rush to make deals with Vietnam, the world is forgetting, or ignoring, Hanoi’s intensifying repression of indigenous activists and other dissidents. While foreign investors and governments embrace Vietnam as a strategic alternative to Beijing, they risk enabling a regime that punishes peaceful advocacy with years in prison.

Since 2018, at least 124 dissidents have received long prison sentences. Prominent bloggers are no longer the chief target of crackdowns, it now extends to ordinary citizens, including members of indigenous groups who challenge local officials. Grassroots organizations have called for Vietnam’s removal from the U.N. Human Rights Council, citing its worsening record. Much of this repression is carried out under Article 331 of the Vietnamese Criminal Code, a vaguely worded law that criminalizes “abusing democratic freedoms” and has become a powerful tool for silencing dissent.

The government’s treatment of To Hoang Chuong and Thach Cuong, members of the Khmer Krom indigenous group, a population of nearly 7 million people in the Mekong Delta region, illustrate these dangers. The two men were vocal advocates for indigenous rights, including the right of the Khmer Krom to speak their own language and practice their religion.

They worked to promote these rights by distributing copies of the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), organizing peaceful events, including an International Women’s Day event, and sharing information about human rights online. For that, they were arrested in July 2023 and charged under Article 331, based solely on social media posts that were critical of the government.

The injustice was swift. For nearly eight months, the two men were denied access to family or lawyers. Then, in a two-hour trial, they were sentenced to three-and-a-half and four years in prison, where they remain today.

Indigenous groups are especially susceptible to Hanoi’s oppression. Despite voting in favor of the UNDRIP, Vietnam doesn’t recognize the existence of indigenous groups, undermining the rights guaranteed in the very agreement it supported.

But there are real opportunities for Vietnam’s trading partners, who actually hold the leverage, to insist that it honor its obligations under international human rights law. Vietnam is largely dependent on exports, which totaled nearly 90 percent of its GDP in 2023, giving its trade partners essential bargaining power to advance human rights interests. 

Trade deals and development partnerships must not reward authoritarian behavior. They must be used to demand accountability. A recent complaint filed through the European Commission alleges that Vietnam has violated the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement by targeting individuals and organizations working on sustainability issues. Other countries should take similar steps to ensure that basic rights are not sacrificed for economic convenience.

Vietnam’s citizens – especially its most vulnerable – deserve more than silence from the world. As governments deepen ties with Hanoi, they should press for the immediate release of political prisoners, the repeal of Article 331, and the recognition of indigenous groups. The cost of doing business with Vietnam should include standing up for the people it silences.

Instead, many world leaders continue to pursue economic engagement with Vietnam without addressing the repression going on behind closed doors. This is a critical mistake. 

By Kaitie Holland – The Diplomat – November 14, 2025