Back to English Comments News - December 24, 2018 | 08:00 am GMT+7 It has been riveting year for Vietnam, with some tragic losses, major corruption trials, euphoric football victories and ignition of new hopes.Parliament makes historic presidential appointmentOn October 23, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was sworn in as the President of Vietnam, following the demise of President Tran Dai Quang, who died in office of illness a month earlier.Trong was unanimously nominated for the position by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam earlier that month. No other candidates were proposed for the job.With his ascension, Trong became the first Vietnamese leader to be the head of state and the Party since founding President Ho Chi Minh. While there would not be any major shift in Vietnam’s policies, Trong holding two offices would allow him to better cut through bureaucratic red tape and bolster his stance on fighting corruption, political experts … [Read more...] about 10 defining moments for Vietnam in 2018 – VnExpress International
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Vietnam’s SEZ protests, the causes and the results
In the ongoing aftermath of demonstrations that rocked the country last weekend, hundreds of people have been detained and dozens now face criminal charges. Authorities, who expressed shock at some of the violence and vandalism that happened in some places, allege some of it was instigated and even pre-planned. The demonstrations first broke out last Sunday with thousands taking to the streets across the country, protesting draft laws on special economic zones (SEZs) and cybersecurity. They gathered in Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City as well as other provinces including Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan, Dong Nai with banners and signs calling for the draft law on SEZs, and to a lesser extent, the cybersecurity bill, to be scrapped. In several places, the protests turned violent, as people started blocking roads and clashing with the police. In Binh Thuan, where the protest became the most intense, hundreds stormed the office of the provincial People's Committee, pulled down the main gate, … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s SEZ protests, the causes and the results