A Vietnamese Dissident Marks One Year of Unjust Imprisonment
Vietnamese political activist Nguyen Chi Tuyen, aka Anh Chi, as seen in a photograph that was posted to his Facebook page on December 2, 2022.
Nguyen Chi Tuyen just wanted to raise his voice. Like a citizen. Like a patriot. In doing so, he became one of Vietnam's most prominent activists. He spent years peacefully protesting China's maritime encroachment on Vietnam. After a Taiwanese factory spilled toxic waste into Vietnam's rivers, he organized people to livestream themselves banging pans together in their kitchens to demand transparency from the regime. He met with European Union delegates to tell them about unjustly detained dissidents and the regime's repression of indigenous rights, and posted videos suggesting ways that Vietnam could solve its corruption problem.
His efforts have earned him five years in prison.
A year ago today, on August 15, 2024, after a five-hour trial behind closed doors, Tuyen – known to many by his pen-name Anh Chi – was convicted of 'anti-state propaganda' and sentenced to half a decade behind bars.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam. Vietnam is crucial to the balance of power between democracies like the European Union and dictatorships like China. Democracies rely on Hanoi to counter Beijing's regional influence, even as China remains one of Vietnam's most important trade partners. While Vietnam has successfully balanced its relations with these countries, its harsh response to Tuyen's pro-democracy stance provides compelling insights into its geopolitical strategy – and a potent reason for democracies to advocate for Tuyen's release.
Arrests of dissidents are nothing new in Vietnam.
Vietnam is a one-party authoritarian regime that has been ruled by the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Luong Cuong is its president (though Tuyen suffered repression mostly under To Lam, who served briefly as president prior to being appointed the CPV general secretary). The CPV rules with an iron fist. It has banned all opposition parties, arresting activists who criticize it and imprisoning members of minority groups who peacefully campaign for the right to practice their religion.
Since 2011, Tuyen has protested against Vietnam's regime, mainly through YouTube videos and community organizing. In a country that suppresses all independent media, Tuyen amassed 100,000 followers on his YouTube account, Anh Chí Râu Đen, and introduced his viewers to core political issues in Vietnam. He also helped found the No-U movement, a soccer club that dissented against China's incursion into Vietnam-claimed regions of the South China Sea. He organized a campaign to support environmental protection after the Formosa water pollution crisis, helped build schools in rural areas, and assisted victims of natural disasters.
He also spoke out against the regime's harsh treatment of pro-democracy activists. In an open letter on behalf of imprisoned Vietnamese dissidents, Tuyen wrote, 'The only thing we did was to act in accordance with our conscience, speak up our thoughts, our desire, our longing.'
Vietnam has rewarded Tuyen's efforts with surveillance and police violence. In 2015, plainclothes police officers attacked him in the streets of Hanoi, injuring him so severely that he needed stitches on his face. In 2017, while he was driving his son home from school, more officers beat Tuyen unconscious.
One February morning in 2024, when Tuyen was in poor health, three surveillance agents stationed themselves outside his home. They told his wife they just wanted to talk to him. When she opened the door, several plainclothes officers rushed inside, read a search-and-arrest warrant that they refused to show, and arrested Tuyen.
To justify their acts, the police cited two videos he had posted on his YouTube channel. One video was about a $200 million donation made by the chairwoman of VietJet Air, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, to Oxford University in the United Kingdom. The second video suggested that creating multiple political parties could help solve the problem of corruption in Vietnam.
After five months languishing in pre-trial detention without being allowed to contact his lawyers and family, Tuyen was brought to the Hanoi People's Court last August. Although his trial was supposed to be open to the public, only Tuyen's wife and lawyers were permitted to attend.
The regime accused him of violating Article 117 of the Vietnamese Penal Code, a vague law that outlaws spreading and that Vietnam has routinely weaponized against activists.
Somehow, Tuyen's videos calling for democratic reform constituted such propaganda. At the end of his five-hour trial, the judge sentenced Tuyen to five years in prison without probation.
Undoubtedly, the most critical part of this story is Tuyen's ongoing suffering and that of his wife and two children. While Tuyen was held incommunicado, his family didn't know his condition. They were allowed to send him supplies two times a month, but they never learned if he received them. They also did not know if he was being treated well or if he was being tortured. Now, they live without him.
But Tuyen's plight also provides insights into Vietnam's geopolitical strategy. Vietnam aims to balance its relations with countries like the U.S. and the EU with its ties to countries like China. For the U.S., Vietnam plays a vital role in countering China's regional influence, while the EU sees Vietnam as a key diplomatic partner. Vietnam has entered into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the U.S. It's poised to enter into one with the EU as well.
Meanwhile, Vietnam sees China as a valuable trade partner. China is Vietnam's largest import market and second-largest export destination. In addition to forming a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with China in 2008, Vietnam has supported China's transnational repression schemes, facilitating China's arrest and repatriation of at least two dissidents.
Both the U.S. and the EU have regarded human rights as foundational to their existing diplomatic partnerships with Vietnam. But as Tuyen's case demonstrates, Vietnam may say it will safeguard human rights. Still, it will unerringly persist in cracking down on dissent, imprisoning people like Tuyen, who criticize Chinese incursion and advocate for positive societal reform.
Vietnam is a dictatorship at its core, more akin to China than to the U.S. and the EU. While diplomatic relations are founded on mutual respect among partner nations for each other's sovereignty and political systems, true mutual respect can only be achieved with openness and dialogue. It is vital to understand that Vietnam will only take action to promote human rights if its diplomatic partners hold it to account.
This is exactly what the U.S. and the EU must do. The EU issued one statement calling for Tuyen's release when he was first sentenced to prison, which is a promising start. While the U.S. has made statements about Vietnam's arbitrary detention of prisoners in general, it hasn't specifically called for Tuyen's release.
We can't know what is happening behind closed doors, but to truly hold Vietnam to account, democracies must consistently call for his release. Without an ongoing dialogue, these countries' relations with Vietnam will remain superficial and lack the foundation of trust necessary to ensure genuine strategic security in the region.
Amid all the geopolitics, it's essential to keep in mind the human lives that continue to be harmed by this reticence. Tuyen, whose only crime was suggesting ways for Vietnam to reduce corruption, remains in prison. Meanwhile, his wife and two children are marking one year of his unjustifiable absence from their lives.
One year is long enough. Just as Tuyen once spoke up for imprisoned activists in his open letter, it is time for democracies to speak up and call for his release. Doing so would promote meaningful dialogue with Vietnam, advance strategic security and, most importantly, enable an innocent man to return home to his family and loved ones.
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Vietnam is a one-party authoritarian regime that has been ruled by the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Luong Cuong is its president (though Tuyen suffered repression mostly under To Lam, who served briefly as president prior to being appointed the CPV general secretary). The CPV rules with an iron fist. It has banned all opposition parties, arresting activists who criticize it and imprisoning members of minority groups who peacefully campaign for the right to practice their religion. Since 2011, Tuyen has protested against Vietnam's regime, mainly through YouTube videos and community organizing. In a country that suppresses all independent media, Tuyen amassed 100,000 followers on his YouTube account, Anh Chí Râu Đen, and introduced his viewers to core political issues in Vietnam. He also helped found the No-U movement, a soccer club that dissented against China's incursion into Vietnam-claimed regions of the South China Sea. He organized a campaign to support environmental protection after the Formosa water pollution crisis, helped build schools in rural areas, and assisted victims of natural disasters. He also spoke out against the regime's harsh treatment of pro-democracy activists. In an open letter on behalf of imprisoned Vietnamese dissidents, Tuyen wrote, 'The only thing we did was to act in accordance with our conscience, speak up our thoughts, our desire, our longing.' Vietnam has rewarded Tuyen's efforts with surveillance and police violence. In 2015, plainclothes police officers attacked him in the streets of Hanoi, injuring him so severely that he needed stitches on his face. In 2017, while he was driving his son home from school, more officers beat Tuyen unconscious. One February morning in 2024, when Tuyen was in poor health, three surveillance agents stationed themselves outside his home. They told his wife they just wanted to talk to him. When she opened the door, several plainclothes officers rushed inside, read a search-and-arrest warrant that they refused to show, and arrested Tuyen. To justify their acts, the police cited two videos he had posted on his YouTube channel. One video was about a $200 million donation made by the chairwoman of VietJet Air, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, to Oxford University in the United Kingdom. The second video suggested that creating multiple political parties could help solve the problem of corruption in Vietnam. After five months languishing in pre-trial detention without being allowed to contact his lawyers and family, Tuyen was brought to the Hanoi People's Court last August. Although his trial was supposed to be open to the public, only Tuyen's wife and lawyers were permitted to attend. The regime accused him of violating Article 117 of the Vietnamese Penal Code, a vague law that outlaws spreading and that Vietnam has routinely weaponized against activists. Somehow, Tuyen's videos calling for democratic reform constituted such propaganda. At the end of his five-hour trial, the judge sentenced Tuyen to five years in prison without probation. Undoubtedly, the most critical part of this story is Tuyen's ongoing suffering and that of his wife and two children. While Tuyen was held incommunicado, his family didn't know his condition. They were allowed to send him supplies two times a month, but they never learned if he received them. They also did not know if he was being treated well or if he was being tortured. Now, they live without him. But Tuyen's plight also provides insights into Vietnam's geopolitical strategy. Vietnam aims to balance its relations with countries like the U.S. and the EU with its ties to countries like China. For the U.S., Vietnam plays a vital role in countering China's regional influence, while the EU sees Vietnam as a key diplomatic partner. Vietnam has entered into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the U.S. It's poised to enter into one with the EU as well. Meanwhile, Vietnam sees China as a valuable trade partner. China is Vietnam's largest import market and second-largest export destination. In addition to forming a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with China in 2008, Vietnam has supported China's transnational repression schemes, facilitating China's arrest and repatriation of at least two dissidents. Both the U.S. and the EU have regarded human rights as foundational to their existing diplomatic partnerships with Vietnam. But as Tuyen's case demonstrates, Vietnam may say it will safeguard human rights. Still, it will unerringly persist in cracking down on dissent, imprisoning people like Tuyen, who criticize Chinese incursion and advocate for positive societal reform. Vietnam is a dictatorship at its core, more akin to China than to the U.S. and the EU. While diplomatic relations are founded on mutual respect among partner nations for each other's sovereignty and political systems, true mutual respect can only be achieved with openness and dialogue. It is vital to understand that Vietnam will only take action to promote human rights if its diplomatic partners hold it to account. This is exactly what the U.S. and the EU must do. The EU issued one statement calling for Tuyen's release when he was first sentenced to prison, which is a promising start. While the U.S. has made statements about Vietnam's arbitrary detention of prisoners in general, it hasn't specifically called for Tuyen's release. We can't know what is happening behind closed doors, but to truly hold Vietnam to account, democracies must consistently call for his release. Without an ongoing dialogue, these countries' relations with Vietnam will remain superficial and lack the foundation of trust necessary to ensure genuine strategic security in the region. Amid all the geopolitics, it's essential to keep in mind the human lives that continue to be harmed by this reticence. Tuyen, whose only crime was suggesting ways for Vietnam to reduce corruption, remains in prison. Meanwhile, his wife and two children are marking one year of his unjustifiable absence from their lives. One year is long enough. Just as Tuyen once spoke up for imprisoned activists in his open letter, it is time for democracies to speak up and call for his release. Doing so would promote meaningful dialogue with Vietnam, advance strategic security and, most importantly, enable an innocent man to return home to his family and loved ones.
