 (Illustrative photo: chinhphu.vn) |
In Vietnam, nearly 79% of the population has internet access, and more than 76 million people use social media, which pose an urgent task of enhancing human-rights protection in the digital space.
Vietnam’s commitment to human rights during international integration
Vietnam ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in 1982. Article 17 of the ICCPR explicitly states that “no one shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his privacy, family, home, or correspondence, nor to unlawful attacks on his honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.”
Ratifying the ICCPR demonstrates Vietnam’s strong commitment to upholding privacy rights in line with global norms. Related regulations in Vietnam’s Constitution and Civil Code affirm its international commitment.
Vietnam is also a signatory of most other human-rights conventions, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Vietnam has participated in UN human-rights mechanisms, particularly the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Human Rights Council, reporting on its own legislative progress and implementation, and adopting recommendations on human rights protection such as improving privacy protection in the digital era.
A major milestone came in 2023 with the issuance of Decree 13 on personal data protection, which classifies biometric data as sensitive personal data, bringing Vietnam closer to the standards of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Australia’s Privacy Act.
Minister of Justice Nguyen Hai Ninh said: “Vietnam has fine-tuned its legal framework by revising, supplementing, and issuing new legal documents, establishing strict legal corridors and clear sanctions to prevent and handle violations of human and civil rights in the digital environment across criminal, administrative, and civil levels. It demonstrates Vietnam’s holistic approach to building a robust legal framework for the digital space and its determination to ensure safety, security, and the promotion of human rights in the digital age.”
Adapting in the digital era
Digital transformation in Vietnam is taking place in all areas from governance, the economy, and education to healthcare and public services, creating a new operational structure driven by data, connectivity, and automation. This brings new opportunities as well as challenges for human rights work.
Experts say that ensuring human rights in the digital age requires a broader view of identifying, correcting, and preventing possible violations. It’s the responsibility not only of the legal, technology, security, and government sectors, but of multisectoral engagement of businesses, academia, and the public.
Professor Dr. Nguyen Xuen Yem, former Director of the People’s Police Academy, said: “We see many new concepts such as digital government, digital society, digital economy, and digital citizens. In the broader study of human rights, every citizen must be respected and personal information must be protected in cyberspace.”
Vietnam continues to improve its legal framework and create mechanisms for human rights impact assessments in major technology projects such as large-scale data collection projects. Vietnam will further strengthen the cybersecurity ecosystem, focusing on workforce training, expanding international cooperation, and carrying out public-awareness campaigns. Human rights protection is closely associated with national interests to ensure that fundamental rights are recognized on paper and enforced in practice.
Protecting human rights in the digital age is inseparable from sustainable development, and is a measure of national governance capacity. As technology evolves, the success of digital transformation will depend on placing people at the center and on respecting and protecting human rights.