Vietnam is increasingly using broadly written laws to arrest activists, dissidents, and others deemed a threat to Communist Party rule, according to an analysis released Monday by The 88 Project, a human rights group.
The group documented 56 such arrests in 2025, marking the third consecutive year of increases and doubling the number recorded in 2022. The report states that the actual number of arrests is likely much higher, as it only includes cases where the defendant could be identified by name and the case tracked.
The report asserts that Vietnam "routinely weaponizes criminal law" to suppress dissent, a tactic reportedly amplified under the leadership of To Lam. Lam, formerly the country's top security official, assumed the role of general secretary of the Communist Party in 2024 and was elected president earlier this year.
Authorities appear to be driven by fears of uprisings against the leadership, often described as "color revolutions," similar to events in Ukraine in 2004 or the Philippines in 1986. This concern is shared by neighboring China, which has faced accusations of using similar methods to silence critics. In a joint statement earlier this year, China and Vietnam agreed to "prioritize political security and enhance efforts to prevent and resist color revolutions."
"With the ascendancy of To Lam, the country has become a literal police state that tolerates no dissent," said Ben Swanton, co-director of The 88 Project. "This represents a serious regression from the period of relative openness in the 2010s when some dissent was tolerated and civil society groups were able to engage in policy activism."
Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to requests for comment regarding the report's findings.
Authorities are increasingly relying on Article 331 of Vietnam's penal code, which criminalizes the "abuse of democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state" and carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison. Human Rights Watch noted last year that the scope of Article 331 has been broadened to encompass individuals beyond human rights and democracy activists, extending to anyone expressing grievances with state or local Communist Party and government officials.
This increased application of Article 331 by Vietnamese authorities has been described by Human Rights Watch as a lesser-known aspect of the government's expanding crackdown on ordinary citizens who use social media and other peaceful means to raise critical social issues, including religious freedom, land rights, Indigenous rights, and corruption.
Among those arrested under Article 331 in the past year were three individuals associated with the YouTube channel “Nguoi Da Tin” — The Messenger — who were accused of uploading videos containing "distorted content" that violated the statute, according to The 88 Project.
The report details other politically related arrests in 2025, including an activist from the minority Montagnard group who was arrested in Thailand and extradited to Vietnam, a dissident writer accused of disseminating "propaganda against the state," and a man who assisted residents in Ha Tinh province with complaints about land expropriation for a new highway.
The Vietnamese government has imposed severe punishments on long-standing targets such as journalists and activists, while also showing an increased willingness to target political exiles and individuals seeking legal recourse, the report stated.