What's in Vietnam’s white book on human rights?

Three versions of the white book.

The document provides updated information about the laws, policies, efforts and achievements of the State of Vietnam in ensuring human rights, once more confirming the fact that Vietnam has closely followed international norms in ensuring the protection and promotion of human rights of its people.

Earlier, in 2005, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam published a book titled “Achievements in protection and promotion of human rights in Vietnam” providing an overall and systematic view of the legal system, institutions, policies, efforts and achievements of the State of Vietnam in protecting human rights.

This time, the white book consists of four chapters, presenting information showing restless efforts of Vietnam in perfecting its legal system and legal enforcement in ensuring the rights of the people. The rights of the people include the right to equality and non-discrimination in front of the law; the right to privacy; the right to freedom of travel and residence; the right to freedom of assembly; the right to vote and stand for election, etc.

The document stresses the achievements of Vietnam in ensuring the implementation of the rights to freedom of belief and religion for its people.

The white book also underlines the vivid manifestation of freedom of speech, and press and information in Vietnam as the country has witnessed the “rapid development in the forms of mass media and the rich contents of information.” The economic growth of Vietnam has also been maintained at stable rates over the past time, increasingly improving people’s living standards, reducing poverty rate, promoting social equality, contributing to protecting the rights to enjoying socio-economic advances and to the implementation of human rights in other realms.

Local people provided with free health checkups.

According to the White Book, the achievements in securing and promoting human rights in recent years represent the relentless efforts of the Vietnamese State in the process of building a socialist rule of law state with regard to people as objectives, motivation and focus in all national development policies. These efforts have been well recognized and appreciated by the international community. However, as a developing country, Vietnam still faces many difficulties and challenges.

Therefore, in the coming time, Vietnam will focus on addressing human rights challenges, focusing on the following 7 priorities: Continue to strengthen the legal system on the principle of promoting the human factor. , ensuring better implementation of the people's basic rights and freedoms, ensuring a harmonious national legal system and in accordance with international standards;

Promote socio-economic development to improve conditions and resources for hunger eradication and poverty alleviation, and improve the quality of material and spiritual life for people; improve access to social security; improve the quality of education to develop human resources, including human rights education in order to raise people's awareness and capacity of law enforcement agencies in this regard;

Actively promote gender equality, considering this as an important factor to build a strong human resource as well as promote the quality of life for each individual, each family and the whole society; community health care, towards a healthy society and access to full health care services both physically and mentally; strengthen cooperation with all countries, regional and global professional organizations and institutions related to human rights.

“On the basis of the achievements gained in recent years, recognized by the people of the country and international friends, with the will and determination of the entire Vietnamese people and the spirit of open dialogue. , effective bilateral and multilateral cooperation with other countries and international organizations in the field of human rights, the State of Vietnam has been and will be determined to implement the goal of ensuring better rights and self-sufficiency. due to the basic of the people on the basis of a rule of law state, and at the same time contributing to the international community to solve regional and global issues related to human rights ", the White Book concludes.

Huu Duong