A BBC journalist was detained in Vietnam after attempting to renew their passport, and authorities have refused to let them leave the country.
During a routine visit home, the journalist's passport renewal was delayed, leading to a lengthy interrogation session with police. The journalist, a Vietnamese citizen living in Thailand, claimed that they were questioned about their professional activities as a journalist.
The BBC has confirmed that one of its journalists is currently unable to leave Vietnam due to government withholding of their ID card and renewed passport. During this period, the journalist was subjected to multiple days of questioning by authorities.
This incident highlights Vietnam's restrictive environment for journalists, who face severe censorship and prosecution under the Communist party. Domestic media outlets are tightly controlled, and dissenters often face imprisonment.
The situation escalated when Vietnam's leader, General Secretary Tô Lâm, visited the UK this week. Friends of the journalist hope to raise their case with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his meeting with Lâm.
Human rights advocates have expressed concern for the journalist's well-being, urging authorities to allow them to leave immediately and provide their passport so they can return to work.
The incident is part of a broader pattern of media censorship in Vietnam. In May, the Economist magazine was banned in the country after featuring Tô Lâm on its cover. Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates, has called for clear demands that the journalist be released and allowed to fly out to Bangkok.
Vietnam's record on press freedom is among the worst globally, ranking 173rd out of 180 countries according to Reporters sans Frontières. The organization describes Vietnam as "one of the world's biggest prisons for journalists."
During a routine visit home, the journalist's passport renewal was delayed, leading to a lengthy interrogation session with police. The journalist, a Vietnamese citizen living in Thailand, claimed that they were questioned about their professional activities as a journalist.
The BBC has confirmed that one of its journalists is currently unable to leave Vietnam due to government withholding of their ID card and renewed passport. During this period, the journalist was subjected to multiple days of questioning by authorities.
This incident highlights Vietnam's restrictive environment for journalists, who face severe censorship and prosecution under the Communist party. Domestic media outlets are tightly controlled, and dissenters often face imprisonment.
The situation escalated when Vietnam's leader, General Secretary Tô Lâm, visited the UK this week. Friends of the journalist hope to raise their case with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his meeting with Lâm.
Human rights advocates have expressed concern for the journalist's well-being, urging authorities to allow them to leave immediately and provide their passport so they can return to work.
The incident is part of a broader pattern of media censorship in Vietnam. In May, the Economist magazine was banned in the country after featuring Tô Lâm on its cover. Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates, has called for clear demands that the journalist be released and allowed to fly out to Bangkok.
Vietnam's record on press freedom is among the worst globally, ranking 173rd out of 180 countries according to Reporters sans Frontières. The organization describes Vietnam as "one of the world's biggest prisons for journalists."
i think vietnam should be more chill about letting bbc journalists leave 
they're just tryin to get their passport sorted, ain't no big deal 
and yeah, its true that vietnam's media landscape is pretty restrictive, but what can u do? 
its not like the journalist is a dissident or nothin' 
they're just doin' their job and tryin to get back home 
It's like, okay, we get it, they don't want anyone causing trouble or publishing stuff that might upset them. But does that mean journalists have to be treated like prisoners? 
maybe it's time for some serious reform? 
... i mean, can u imagine being trapped in a country because u r a journalist trying to do ur job? 
it's like they're saying 'hey, we don't want u here' and then literally stopping u from leaving the country. 
. and now with general secretary lô Lâm visiting the uk, it feels like they're trying to send a message that journalists in vietnam are just disposable.
. media censorship is one thing but when u r literally being held against ur will... that's not right at all 
.
... i mean, can u imagine being stuck in a country where they dont wanna let u leave just cuz u r doing ur job? its like, what did u do wrong? didnt u report on the govts corrupt activities or somethin'? 
... vietnam needs 2 relax its grip on journalists and let them do ther jobs in peace 
... lets hope british pm keir starmer can help negotiate ur release, journalist 
. i mean, who questions you about your work just cuz you're trying to get a new passport? that's some seriously shady stuff 
. it highlights how restrictive vietnam can be for journalists - censorship and prosecution are no joke 
. i hope friends of the journalist can get a meeting with british prime minister keir starmer and raise awareness about this situation 
I feel bad for that BBC journalist who's stuck in Vietnam right now 
can you imagine having your passport renewal turn into a nightmare interrogation session? 
they really need to step up their game and allow free press 
? thats crazy talk 
? what are we even talking about here 
. And its not like they did anything wrong or somethin 
! can't u just chill out 
? its like, the world is moving forward and ur country is stuck in the past 
.
and can get back to work 
. Fingers crossed for them 
It's like they're in some kind of spy novel or something 
. Anyway, fingers crossed that the British PM is able to help them out 
They're literally being held captive over there because of their job 
️
. I hope those human rights advocates can get their friend out of there ASAP and back to work 
.