On November 14, police in Thai Binh province detained a National Assembly delegate, Luu Binh Nhuong, on suspected charges of corruption. The accusations are odd, but it appears that Nhuong has been charged with illegally mining sand and forcing businesses to buy it, and has been linked to someone already convicted of a similar crime. … Read more
U.S. President Joe Biden addresses a press conference, in Hanoi, Vietnam, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023. Credit: AP Photo/Evan Vucci Advertisement This weekend, for the first time, a U.S. president paid a state visit to Vietnam on the invitation of a general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). On the occasion, President Joe Biden … Read more
Advertisement President Joe Biden said Sunday his visit to Vietnam to showcase stronger ties with Hanoi was not about trying to start a “cold war” with China, but rather was part of a broader effort to provide global stability by building U.S. relationships throughout Asia at a time of tensions with Beijing. “It’s not about … Read more
Advertisement On August 28, the White House announced that President Joe Biden will be visiting Vietnam on 10-11 September. The spokesperson for the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately confirmed the visit, which she emphasized came at the invitation of Nguyen Phu Trong, the general-secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). According to the … Read more
ASEAN Beat | Politics | Southeast Asia Among the most prominent officials were high-ranking members of the ministries of foreign affairs, public health, and public security. Advertisement On Friday, one of Vietnam’s largest-ever bribery cases concluded with hefty prison terms for 54 people, including a former deputy foreign minister and several senior diplomats. They were accused and convicted of … Read more
Advertisement Pick up an article about Vietnam’s anti-corruption campaign and chances are it will be described as a “blazing furnace.” That’s a confection of its architect, Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong. But give ear to something else he said recently, that one has to be careful “to kill the mouse but not to break … Read more
ASEAN Beat | Politics | Southeast Asia The move has been justified by the need to fight online scams, but will further chill freedom of expression online. Advertisement Vietnam’s government is preparing to make it mandatory for users of Facebook, TikTok, and other social media networks to verify their identities, citing the need to combat online scams and other … Read more
Advertisement Although the United States and Vietnam are ideologically different, recent bilateral developments show that both countries are now more open to direct exchanges between the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the U.S. government. Beyond the historic visit of CPV chief Nguyen Phu Trong’ to the White House in 2015, U.S. officials increasingly engage … Read more