“The leak earlier this month of a purported Vietnamese Communist Party Politburo policy directive about internal security has sparked concerns that authorities in Hanoi are preparing to further increase domestic surveillance and social controls. The document, labeled as Directive 24 and said to have been issued last July, outlines comprehensive plans to tighten controls over the formation of trade unions and maintain stringent oversight of workers as well as those who travel or study abroad or cooperate with international organizations. The media is to be used to help combat civil disobedience, contrary views and foreign cultural influences. Directive 24 also urges caution with foreign investors who might ‘hide in the shadows’ while seeking to dominate key economic sectors or undermine Vietnam’s independence, economic autonomy and political stability. This viewpoint made for an awkward backdrop as the U.S. dispatched its biggest business delegation ever to Vietnam last week.”
“The group included representatives of Boeing, Meta and about 58 other companies and was led by Ted Osius, a former U.S. ambassador to Hanoi. This viewpoint made for an awkward backdrop as the U.S. dispatched its biggest business delegation ever to Vietnam last week. The group included representatives of Boeing, Meta and about 58 other companies and was led by Ted Osius, a former U.S. ambassador to Hanoi. Publicized by The Project 88, a Vietnam-focused rights advocacy group based in the U.S., Directive 24 encapsulates entrenched concerns at the top echelons of power in Hanoi about perceived threats to national security arising from ‘hostile and reactionary forces’ through Vietnam’s burgeoning international ties. As the country’s global connections deepen, officials fear that ‘new difficulties and challenges for national security’ could endanger the regime’s legitimacy and survival.”
“It is indeed the ‘business as usual’ aspects of the directive that are most worrying and indicative of Hanoi’s resistance to any moderation of its repressive approach. This in turn signals that Vietnamese officials have little concern about potential international repercussions from their harsh security measures. Communist Party factions with strongholds in the country’s defense, security and ideology agencies have been on the ascendance since 2016. This has put the country on a relentless trajectory of tightened controls over civil society and public discourse in the mainstream media and in cyberspace. Laws and regulations have been weaponized to more strictly censor online content and persecute critics. Foreign Big Tech platforms like Facebook have been browbeaten into compliance with Hanoi’s demands to remove politically sensitive posts. Vietnam’s growing audacity has been bolstered by the country’s growing geopolitical significance amid the heightened great power rivalry between China and the U.S.”
