Vietnam Coutry of origin information report COI service 9 August 2013 Vietnam 9 August 2013 Contents Preface Reports on Vietnam Published or accessed between 16 July and 9 August 2013 Useful news sources for further information Paragraphs Background Information 1. Geography ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 1.01 Map ........................................................................................................................ 1.10 2. Economy ............................................................................................................... 2.01 3. History ................................................................................................................... 3.01 The French colonial period .................................................................................. 3.01 North and South Partition .................................................................................... 3.02 4. Recent developments – January 2013 to July 2013 .......................................... 4.01 5. Constitution .......................................................................................................... 5.01 6. Political system .................................................................................................... 6.01 Elections of November 2011 ................................................................................ 6.04 Human Rights 7. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 7.01 8. Security forces ..................................................................................................... 8.01 Police ..................................................................................................................... 8.02 Armed forces ........................................................................................................ 8.04 Army ................................................................................................................... 8.07 Human rights violations by security forces ....................................................... 8.08 Arbitrary arrest and detention ............................................................................. 8.08 Torture ................................................................................................................... 8.09 Avenues of complaint .......................................................................................... 8.14 9. Military service ..................................................................................................... 9.01 10. Judiciary ................................................................................................................ 10.01 Organisation ......................................................................................................... 10.01 Independence ....................................................................................................... 10.04 Fair trial ................................................................................................................. 10.08 11. Arrest and detention – legal rights ..................................................................... 11.01 12. Prison conditions ................................................................................................. 12.01 Drug detention centres ........................................................................................ 12.08 13. Death penalty ........................................................................................................ 13.01 14. Political affiliation ................................................................................................. 14.01 Freedom of political expression .......................................................................... 14.01 Freedom of association and assembly ............................................................... 14.10 Opposition groups and political activists .......................................................... 14.16 Prisoners of conscience ...................................................................................... 14.25 15. Freedom of speech and media ............................................................................ 15.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 15.01 Newspapers, Radio and Television ..................................................................... 15.07 ii This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 15 July 2013. 9 August 2013 Vietnam Internet .................................................................................................................. 15.09 Internet users ..................................................................................................... 15.09 Journalists & bloggers ......................................................................................... 15.12 16. Human rights institutions, organisations and activists .................................... 16.01 17. Corruption ............................................................................................................. 17.01 Land/property seizure and property restitution ................................................. 17.10 18. Freedom of religion .............................................................................................. 18.01 Religious demography ......................................................................................... 18.17 Religious groups .................................................................................................. 18.20 Ancestor worship ................................................................................................ 18.20 Buddhists ........................................................................................................... 18.23 Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) ................................................. 18.27 Hoa Hao ............................................................................................................. 18.30 Catholics ............................................................................................................ 18.36 Protestants ......................................................................................................... 18.39 Cao Dai .............................................................................................................. 18.45 Muslims .............................................................................................................. 18.48 19. Ethnic groups ....................................................................................................... 19.01 Chinese (Hoa) ....................................................................................................... 19.09 H’mong .................................................................................................................. 19.10 Montagnards ......................................................................................................... 19.15 20. Sexual orientation and gender identity .............................................................. 20.01 Legal rights ........................................................................................................... 20.01 Treatment by, and attitudes of, state authorities ............................................... 20.09 Societal treatment and attitudes ......................................................................... 20.12 Lesbians ................................................................................................................ 20.24 Transgender persons ........................................................................................... 20.26 21. Disability ............................................................................................................... 21.01 22. Women .................................................................................................................. 22.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 22.01 Legal rights ........................................................................................................... 22.05 Political rights ....................................................................................................... 22.07 Social and economic rights ................................................................................. 22.09 Reproduction and abortion rights ....................................................................... 22.16 Access to education and employment ................................................................ 22.19 Violence against women ...................................................................................... 22.22 Domestic and sexual violence ............................................................................ 22.22 Prosecution .................................................................................................... 22.31 Trafficking of women .......................................................................................... 22.34 Prosecution