The latest from Vietnam comes from the Democracy Digest:

As Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party gears up for its most important meeting in years, its leadership has presided over an intensified crackdown on dissent, according to rights groups, activists and data collated by Reuters. A record number of political prisoners, longer jail terms, and increased harassment of activists in recent years have contributed to the crackdown ahead of this week’s Communist Party congress, a gathering to determine national leadership and policy that takes place once every five years.

Human Rights Watch is also reporting on the crackdown:

The Vietnamese government’s crackdown on dissidents has been unrelenting prior to the major Communist Party Congress set to begin on January 25, 2021, Human Rights Watch said today. During this 13th Party Congress, meetings held every five years since 1986, officials will set new plans and select the politburo, the party’s leadership, the leader of the national assembly, and the country’s president and prime minister.

“Vietnam’s Communist Party is preparing for the pageantry of its party congress while sending people to prison for posting their views and opinions on Facebook, as millions worldwide do every day,” said John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch.

Also see our section on World Democracy or our articles on Worldwide Corruption.