Are Europeans putting profits over human rights in Vietnam?
Europe and Vietnam are deepening economic and diplomatic ties, but closer cooperation raises concerns about whether Brussels is doing enough to address Hanoi's human rights record, labor standards and trade imbalances.
A visit by Vietnam's Communist Party chief and president, To Lam, to Brussels has highlighted deepening trade ties between Europe and Vietnam. The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement expanded commercial relationships in 2020, positioning Vietnam as the EU's largest goods-trading partner in Southeast Asia and its 14th-largest globally. The EU, in turn, is Vietnam's fourth-largest trading partner and a significant source of foreign investment.
However, concerns have been raised over whether European companies are profiting sufficiently from Vietnam's economic expansion and whether Brussels is overlooking Vietnam's deteriorating human rights record. In an open letter, 12 international human rights organizations expressed grave concerns over the intensifying repression of political opposition, independent journalism, and civil society under To Lam, who once headed Vietnam's powerful public security ministry.
While Vietnam agreed to obligations on human rights, labor protections, and environmental standards when negotiating the EVFTA and associated political agreements, rights groups allege that Hanoi has not delivered on these commitments. The EU has not taken any action in response to Vietnam's repeated breaches of its EVFTA-related obligations.
Additionally, European businesses face growing demands from the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and deforestation regulations, which require more detailed information about production processes and supply chains.
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