Some one hundred prospective independent candidates met the recent deadline to register for upcoming legislative elections. But as they put their names forward, at the beginning of a daunting vetting process for the May 22 National Assembly election, they were…
Independent candidates attempting to challenge the Communist party in legislative elections say the authorities have stepped up obstruction and harassment as the deadline for registration approaches. Some say their efforts to put their names forward for the election on May…
A campaign to challenge the Communist party in upcoming legislative elections is gathering momentum despite signs that the police are closely monitoring potential independent candidates. Ten civil society activists in Hanoi have joined the veteran pro-democracy campaigner, Dr Nguyen Quang…
The National Assembly election will take place on May 22. The body has an important constitutional role on paper but has always been seen as more of an ornamentation, manipulated by the Communist party to bolster the legitimacy of its…
One of Vietnam’s most respected and influential dissidents is launching a campaign for election to the National Assembly in a direct challenge to the Communist Party’s monopoly on power. Dr Nguyen Quang A, a former party member and army officer,…
The victory of the communist old guard at the 12th party congress puts an end, for now, to a protracted power struggle that has riven the top levels of the Vietnamese leadership for years. The incumbent party boss, Nguyen Phu…
A heavy police presence, a tightening of censorship and the death of a “sacred” turtle have added to an already charged political atmosphere as Communist Party delegates meet to decide the future leadership of Vietnam. Plainclothes police surrounded the homes…
Some 1,500 delegates have gathered in Hanoi for a decisive Communist Party congress amid a febrile political atmosphere unprecedented in recent years. Social media networks have been awash for weeks with rumours of vicious infighting, letters of denunciation and even…
Political tension in Hanoi is rising as an intense struggle for the leadership of the Communist Party approaches its climax. Bloggers and other activists have been called in for long questioning sessions by police, who seem determined to prevent any…
One of Vietnam’s highest profile political trials in years has been scheduled for the day before the Communist Party begins its much anticipated 12th National Congress. Nguyen Huu Vinh, who founded the Anh Ba Sam website, and his colleague, Nguyen…