Vietnam

Vietnam, a one-party communist state, has one of south-east Asia's fastest-growing economies and has set its sights on becoming a fully developed nation by 2020.

It became a unified country in 1976 after the armed forces of the communist north had seized the south of the country in the previous year. This followed three decades of bitter independence wars, which the communists fought first against the colonial power France, then against US-backed South Vietnam.

Human rights in Vietnam are an issue which have attracted considerable public attention from human rights organisations and the British Parliament in recent times. In its 2005 Annual Report on Human Rights, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office cited Vietnam as a country of particular human rights concern.

Overall, the majority of Vietnamese people enjoy greater security, prosperity and personal liberty than previously in their history. Vietnam has also made strides in terms of economic and social rights over recent decades. Vietnam has a poor record with regard to civil and political rights, however, notwithstanding gradual improvements over recent years. Restrictions on freedom of expression, freedom of religion and the high number of executions are particular causes for concern.

There are tight controls on freedom of expression, including internet and media freedom, in Vietnam. A number of 'cyber-dissidents' have been imprisoned for expressing opinions unwelcome to the government on the internet or by e-mail. The state-run media is considered an official mouthpiece and journalists may not cover sensitive stories. Access to non-state approved sources of information is restricted.

Recent developments: Freedom of expression is still heavily curtailed in Vietnam, where media can only exist through government sanctioning. While journalists and publications do manifest opposition to the government, they incur very severe retributions. The Law on Publications outlaws publications that express opposition to the government. After several journalists reported on an embezzlement scandal, the government passed a new law in 2006, Decree No. 56, which places heavy fines for certain activities such as defaming the nation or national heroes or circulating harmful information. Journalists face harassment, detainment or imprisonment if critical of the government. Between August 2006 and April 2007, at least 9 internet writers and dissidents have been detained without charge or trial.

Sources: For further information, based on primary research, see the annual reports from Amnesty International (http://www.amnesty.org/), the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (http://www.cpj.org/), Reporters Without Borders (http://www.rsf.fr/) and the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (http://ifex.org/) . See also Human Rights Watch (http://www.hrw.org/). For more general information on Vietnam, see the Foreign and Commonwealth Office country profile (www.fco.gov.uk).