Communist Party of Vietnam
Vietnam's secretive, twice-a-decade political transition kicked off Tuesday, with the Communist Party poised to select its future leaders who will have to contend with an increasingly assertive China and ramped-up trade tensions with the United States (US).The country's party general secretary, as well as three other key leadership "pillars", are up for grabs at the congress in Hanoi, which is taking place largely behind closed doors, and will run until 2 February.The lead
Five days before United States (US) President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met in Hanoi for their second summit, two former Vietnamese ministers of communications were arrested and charged with “violations related to management and use of public capital.” The two officials are alleged to have approved a state-owned telecom company’s purchase of a private television provider for over four times its estimated value, at a loss to the state of around US$307 million.Similarly,
A Vietnamese activist was put under house arrest and barred from leaving the country after she defaced the national flag, she told media on Friday, vowing to fight for democracy in the one-party state where dissent is swiftly stamped out.Authorities in the communist country show little tolerance for criticism of any kind, and desecrating national symbols such as the yellow-starred red flag is deemed particularly offensive.
