2018 Vietnam protests: Difference between revisions

| title = 2018 Vietnam protests

| image =

| caption = Protesters hold a banner which reads "No Leasing Land to China even for Anytime" in Hanoi, 10 June<ref>{{Cite news| last = Reuters Staff| title = China warns citizens in Vietnam after protests over economic zones| work = Reuters|access-date= 2021-04-09| date = 2018-06-11| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-protests-idUSKBN1J70NS}}</ref>

| date = 9–17 June 2018

| place = Across Vietnam, including:

* [[Japan]]

| causes = * Special Zone = Act

| methods = * [[Demonstration = (political)|Demonstrations]]

| result = *Over 200 protesters arrested

| side1 = ={{Plainlist}}

{{flagicon image|Viet Tan Logo.png}} [[Việt Tân]] (alleged, denied)<br>

| side2 = ={{flagdeco|Vietnam}} [[Government of Vietnam]]

* [[Ministry of Public Security (Vietnam)|Ministry of Public Security]]

** [[Vietnam People’sPeople's Public Security|Vietnam People’s Public Security Forces]]

**[[Mobile Police Command]]
* [[File:Emblem VPA.svg|15px16px]][[People’s Army of Vietnam]]

** [[File:InsigniaFlag of the Vietnam Self-Defence Militia.svg|15px22px]] [[:vi:Dân_quân_tự_vệ_(Việt_Nam)|''Vietnam Self-DefenceDefense Militia'']]

* [[File:Flag of HCM Communist Youth Union.svg|22px]][[Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union]]

The Special Zone Act<ref>{{Cite web| last = ASEAN briefing| title = Special economic zones in ASEAN: opportunities for US investors| work = ASEAN Business News|access-date= 2021-04-10| date = 2020-06-04| url = https://www.aseanbriefing.com/news/special-economic-zones-in-asean-opportunities-for-us-investors/}}</ref> (also known as the Special Zones Law<ref>{{Cite news| last = China Dialogue| title = Public criticism pressures Vietnam to back down on new economic zones| work = China Dialogue|access-date= 2021-04-10| date = 2019-03-26| url = https://chinadialogue.net/en/business/11154-public-criticism-pressures-vietnam-to-back-down-on-new-economic-zones/}}</ref> or the Special Economic Zones Law<ref>{{Cite web| last = Trang| first = Doan| title = FAQs about the Special Economic Zones and Vietnam's SEZ draft bill| work = thevietnamese.org| date = 28 August 2018|access-date= 2021-04-10| url = https://www.thevietnamese.org/2018/08/faqs-about-the-special-economic-zones-and-vietnams-sez-draft-bill/}}</ref>) proposes the opening of three [[special economic zones]] (SEZs) across Vietnam, where foreign investors would be allowed to lease land for up to 99 years. Despite no specific mention of China within the lines of the bill, many Vietnamese feared that the SEZs would be dominated by Chinese investorsChina, fuelingleading anti-Chineseto worries sentimentsabout the loss of national sovereignty.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Reuters Staff| title = China warns citizens in Vietnam after protests over economic zones| work = Reuters|access-date= 2021-04-09| date = 2018-06-11| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-protests-idUSKBN1J70NS}}</ref> On 9 June 2018, the Vietnamese authorities eventually yielded under enormous public pressure and postponed voting on the law indefinitely.<ref>{{Cite web| last = Luong| first = Dien Nguyen An| title = How Hanoi is leveraging anti-China sentiments online|access-date= 2021-01-25| date = 2020| url = https://www.iseas.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ISEAS_Perspective_2020_115.pdf}}</ref>

The Cybersecurity Law seeks to give the government full authority to strictly police the Internet, scrutinize personal information, censor online discussion, and punish or even jail online dissidents. It has been described as “largely a copy-and-paste version” of the [[:Cybersecurity Law of the People's Republic of China|Chinese Cybersecurity Law]] that commenced a year prior.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Reporters Without Borders| title = RSF calls for repeal of Vietnam's new cybersecurity law| work = RSF|access-date= 2021-02-11| date = 2018-06-14| url = https://rsf.org/en/news/rsf-calls-repeal-vietnams-new-cybersecurity-law}}</ref> The [[National Assembly of Vietnam]] passed the law on 12 June 2018 despite local and international opposition<ref>{{Cite news| last = Nguyen| first = Mai| title = Vietnam lawmakers approve cyber law clamping down on tech firms, dissent| work = Reuters|access-date= 2021-04-09| date = 2018-06-12| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-socialmedia-idUSKBN1J80AE}}</ref> and it has been in effect since 1 January 2019.<ref>{{Cite conference| last = Bertelsmann Stiftung| title = BTI 2020 Vietnam Country Report| series = BTI Transformation Index| url = <!--/en/reports/country-report-VNM-2020.html-->}}</ref>

To mainstream media and many nongovernmental organizations, Vietnam is often perceived as harsh and uncompromising regarding the right to freedom of assembly. Reports from [[Human Rights Watch]] and the US State Department depict the ruling [[Communist Party of Vietnam]] (CPV) as extremely illiberal and unforgiving of political dissent of any kind.<ref>{{Cite conference| last = Human Rights Watch| title = Vietnam: Country Summary| location = New York| series = World Report 2013|access-date= 2021-04-10| date = 2013| url = https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/related_material/vietnam_9.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite conference| last = US Department of State| title = 2010 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Vietnam| series = 2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices|access-date= 2021-04-10| date = 2011| url = https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/160484.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite conference| last = US Department of State| title = 2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Vietnam| series = 2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices|access-date= 2021-04-10| date = 2018| url = https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/vietnam/}}</ref> [[Freedom House]]’s report on Vietnam in 2020 scores the country at 1 out of 4 for freedom of assembly, specifically citing the arrests and convictions as a result of the 2018 protests as the reason for its score, and 0 out of 4 for freedom for nongovernmental organizations and trade unions or similar professional organizations.<ref>{{Cite conference| last = Freedom House| title = Vietnam: Freedom in the World 2020 Country Report|access-date= 2021-04-10| url = https://freedomhouse.org/country/vietnam/freedom-world/2020}}</ref> [[Amnesty International]] also reports harassment, assault,and prosecution, torture, and executions towardsof pro-democracy activists, independent journalists, authors, and publishers in its Vietnam 2020 review.<ref>{{Cite web| last = Amnesty International| title = Everything you need to know about human rights in Viet Nam|access-date= 2021-04-11| date = 2020| url = https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/asia-and-the-pacific/viet-nam/report-viet-nam/}}</ref> According to Human Rights Watch, in April 2018 the chief judge in Hanoi sentenced political activists to 7 to 12 years of imprisonment each under Article 79 of the Criminal Code for political activism.<ref>{{Cite web| last = The Diplomat| title = Vietnam's Controversial Cybersecurity Law Spells Tough Times for Activists|access-date= 2021-04-11| url = https://thediplomat.com/2019/01/vietnams-controversial-cybersecurity-law-spells-tough-times-for-activists/}}</ref>

Scholars and observers of Vietnam, however, have a different outlook. Many agree that the country has actually been exercising a responsive-repressive strategy since the 1990s, taking certain measures to show its responsiveness and tolerance to criticism from its citizens and exercising repression only as a last resort.<ref>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1080/09512748.2016.1201132| issn = 0951-2748| volume = 30| issue = 2| pages = 169–187| last = Bui| first = Nhung T.| title = Managing anti-China nationalism in Vietnam: evidence from the media during the 2014 oil rig crisis| journal = The Pacific Review|access-date= 2021-03-06| date = 2017-03-04| s2cid = 156373670| url = https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09512748.2016.1201132}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal| volume = 13| issue = 1| pages = 61–69| last1 = Ciorciari| first1 = John D| last2 = Weiss| first2 = Jessica Chen| title = The Sino-Vietnamese standoff in the South China Sea| journal = Georgetown Journal of International Affairs| date = 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1525/as.2015.55.1.165| issn = 0004-4687| volume = 55| issue = 1| pages = 165–173| last1 = Malesky| first1 = Edmund| last2 = Morris-Jung| first2 = Jason| title = Vietnam in 2014| journal = Asian Survey|access-date= 2021-03-06| date = 2015-02-01| url = https://online.ucpress.edu/as/article/55/1/165/24778/Vietnam-in-2014Uncertainty-and-Opportunity-in-the}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1080/10670564.2020.1852737| issn = 1067-0564| pages = 613–629| last = Ross| first = Robert S.| title = China-Vietnamese relations in the era of rising China: power, resistance, and maritime conflict| journal = Journal of Contemporary China|access-date= 2021-03-07| date = 2020-12-07| volume = 30| issue = 130| s2cid = 230609101| url = https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10670564.2020.1852737}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal| volume = 9| issue = 4| pages = 33–66| last = Vu| first = Tuong| title = The party v. the people: anti-China nationalism in contemporary Vietnam| journal = Journal of Vietnamese Studies| date = 2014| doi = 10.1525/vs.2014.9.4.33}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1080/10670564.2019.1580429| issn = 1067-0564| volume = 28| issue = 119| pages = 712–728| last1 = Wang| first1 = Frances Yaping| last2 = Womack| first2 = Brantly| title = Jawing through crises: Chinese and Vietnamese media strategies in the South China Sea| journal = Journal of Contemporary China|access-date= 2021-03-06| date = 2019-09-03| s2cid = 159174351| url = https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10670564.2019.1580429}}</ref> Political scientist and Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University [[Ben Kerkvliet]] found that Vietnamese citizens “frequently and publicly” spoke out in criticism of their living and working conditions, most often through thousands of strikes, occasionally with thousands of participants each.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = Cornell University Press| last = Kerkvliet| first = Benedict J. Tria| title = Speaking out in Vietnam: public political criticism in a communist party-ruled nation| date = 2019}}</ref> His 2019 book ''Speaking Out in Vietnam: public political criticism in a communist party-ruled nation'' showed that at least since 1990, public political criticism has evolved into a prominent feature of Vietnam's political landscape. In the book, he also showed how government officials were in reality often sympathetic to workers’ demands, accommodating to concerns with land confiscation, and even to some extent tolerating calls for democratization that threatened the ideology of the regime. Some regime critics were not detained at all; many were confined for brief periods but never imprisoned; those who were convicted faced shorter lengths of imprisonment compared to past decisive crackdowns and repressions.

{{morefurther|China-Vietnam relations|2014 Vietnam anti-China protests}}

Among the Vietnamese populace, anti-China sentiments act as a converging space for their dissatisfaction with a variety of social issues in the country such as unfavorable labour conditions, environmental pollution, socio-economic development, and foreign policy. Placing China as a ‘common enemy’ thereby acts as a linkage between these social groups with mutual encouragement and reinforcement of these sentiments.<ref>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1177/186810341503400305| issn = 1868-1034| volume = 34| issue = 3| pages = 123–150| last = Kurfürst| first = Sandra| title = Networking alone? Digital communications and collective action in Vietnam| journal = Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs| date = 2015-12-01| s2cid = 156716830| doi-access = free}}</ref> Post-ColdPost–Cold War, and especially since 2010, the sharpest crises and ensuing anti-China protests in Vietnam have involved public outrage over [[territorial disputes in the South China Sea]].<ref>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1177/2347797016645453| issn = 2347-7970| volume = 3| issue = 2| pages = 200–220| last = Thayer| first = Carlyle A.| title = Vietnam's strategy of 'cooperating and struggling' with China over maritime disputes in the South China Sea| journal = Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs|access-date= 2021-04-10| date = 2016-08-01| s2cid = 156997593| url = https://doi.org/10.1177/2347797016645453}}</ref>

In May 2011, for instance, a Chinese maritime vessel cut the cables of a Vietnamese ship conducting research operating in Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea, and hundreds in Vietnam took to the streets for over three months in sustained protest.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Reuters Staff| title = Vietnam stops anti-China protest, detains many| work = Reuters|access-date= 2021-04-11| date = 2011-08-21| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-protest-idUSTRE77K0FF20110821}}</ref> Demonstrators in Hanoi sang patriotic songs, chanted slogans, and carried banners and flags, including a Chinese flag digitally altered to include a pirate’s skull and crossbones.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Reuters Staff| title = Hundreds protest in Vietnam against China over sea row| work = Reuters|access-date= 2021-04-11| date = 2011-06-05| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-57504920110605}}</ref> Public anger flared up even more intensely in 2014, when [[Hai Yang Shi You 981 standoff|China deployed Haiyang Shiyou 981]], a giant oil rig in an area of the South China Sea claimed by Vietnam. This incident triggered large-scale [[:2014 Vietnam anti-China protests|anti-China demonstrations]] with thousands of participants that quickly turned violent.<ref>{{Cite news| last = BBC News| title = Vietnam anti-China protest: Factories burnt| work = BBC News|access-date= 2021-04-11| date = 2014-05-14| url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27403851}}</ref> Protesters set fire to industrial parks and factories, hunted down and sparred with Chinese workers, and attacked police during the confrontations, leaving at least 21 people dead and nearly 100 injured.<ref>{{Cite web| last = The Guardian| title = At least 21 dead in Vietnam anti-China protests over oil rig| work = The Guardian|access-date= 2021-04-11| date = 2014-05-15| url = http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/15/vietnam-anti-china-protests-oil-rig-dead-injured}}</ref>

Such territorial disputes are particularly affective because they are viewed as challenges and violations of Vietnam’s sovereignty, an especially sore subject when it comes to China given the history of border clashes between the two countries until 1991, such as the two-month bloody [[Sino-Vietnamese border war]] not four decades prior in 1979.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Reuters Staff| title = Vietnam stops anti-China protests after riots, China evacuates workers| work = Reuters|access-date= 2021-04-11| date = 2014-05-18| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-vietnam-idUSBREA4H00C20140518}}</ref> An op-ed in the Vietnam News sums up the ground sentiments for anti-China protests in a message of solidarity: "The Vietnamese people are angry. The nation is angry. We are telling the world that we are angry. We have every right to be angry. […] The message from all these demonstrations is simple and straightforward: China should stop violating international law and respect Viet Nam's sovereignty. […] We are a small country, but we are not weak. We will stand as one, united in the cause of protecting our motherland's integrity."<ref>{{Cite web| last = Vietnam News| title = Viet Nam has law on its side on East Sea issue| work = vietnamnews.vn|access-date= 2021-04-11| url = http://vietnamnews.vn/opinion/op-ed/254871/viet-nam-has-law-on-its-side-on-east-sea-issue.html}}</ref>

All in all, within this trio – the Vietnamese people, the Vietnamese government, and the Chinese government – it is all about preserving a delicate balance between appeasing protests and approving of nationalism while maintaining the negotiated asymmetry and avoiding harm to bilateral relations.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Reuters Staff| title = Hundreds protest in Vietnam against China over sea row| work = Reuters|access-date= 2021-04-11| date = 2011-06-05| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-57504920110605}}</ref> A study based on an analysis of 570 Vietnamese newspaper articles shows how the Vietnamese government was truly balanced in its response to anti-China protests, extensively publicizing the conflict to show opposition to Chinese aggression but also channeling the anger towards China into a “more positive and constructive form of pro-government nationalism”.<ref>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1080/09512748.2016.1201132| issn = 0951-2748| volume = 30| issue = 2| pages = 169–187| last = Bui| first = Nhung T.| title = Managing anti-China nationalism in Vietnam: evidence from the media during the 2014 oil rig crisis| journal = The Pacific Review|access-date= 2021-03-06| date = 2017-03-04| s2cid = 156373670| url = https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09512748.2016.1201132}}</ref> Scholars ultimately agree on the general approach taken by Vietnam to such anti-China criticism and rallies: that demonstrators were allowed and sometimes even encouraged to protest, with broad media coverage of the demonstrations and issuances of official statements in a sympathetic nature towards protesters that condemned Chinese actions. This permissive stance would continue until events escalated and turned violent, where there would then be a heavy-handed, definitive crackdown often involving arrests and brute force.

As a facet of the protests targeted Chinese workers and Chinese-owned factories in particular, China’s diplomatic missions in Vietnam held meetings with Chinese business groups, local government and local media. The website of the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam posted that chargechargé d’affairesd'affaires Yin Haihong “demanded” that Vietnamese authorities protect Chinese businesses and citizens.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Petty| first = Martin| title = In Vietnam, distrust of government's China policy fuels protests| work = Reuters|access-date= 2021-04-09| date = 2018-06-20| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-protests-analysis-idUSKBN1JF0VU}}</ref> Yin said the embassy had been informed by the Vietnamese authorities that people with “ulterior motives” had “deliberately misrepresented the situation and linked it to China.”

As the rumor of China’s imminent exploitation of the act continued to spread and public dissatisfaction demonstrated, party officials hastened to rebuke such fears. Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan attempted to calm the outrage by appealing to the protesters, saying that the people should “believe in the decisions of the party and the state, especially in the fact that the National Assembly is always listening to the people’s opinions when discussing the bills”.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Reuters Staff| title = China warns citizens in Vietnam after protests over economic zones| work = Reuters|access-date= 2021-04-09| date = 2018-06-11| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-protests-idUSKBN1J70NS}}</ref> Nguyen Phu Trong emphasized that the proposed benefits of the act would only be towards the people, proclaiming that “the party of Chairman [[Ho Chi Minh]] (referring to the CPV) is for the country, for people and no other purposes” and specifically addressing the allegations that the country would be lost to China by reportedly saying, “No one is that foolish to hand over land to foreigners for them to mess us up. No one would be that naive.”<ref>{{Cite web| last = AP News| title = Vietnam arrests 8 people after economic zone law protests| work = AP NEWS|access-date= 2021-04-09| date = 2018-06-18| url = https://apnews.com/article/dcadb5b9b07446a4aba9588b9d6b811a}}</ref>

The Cybersecurity Law, on the other hand, was overwhelmingly passed on 12 June 2018 despite huge local and international opposition, with approving votes from 91% of attending legislators.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Nguyen| first = Mai| title = Vietnam lawmakers approve cyber law clamping down on tech firms, dissent| work = Reuters|access-date= 2021-04-09| date = 2018-06-12| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-socialmedia-idUSKBN1J80AE}}</ref> The law grants the government sweeping powers to control online information and police online activity including potentially forcing technology company to hand over vast amounts of data including personal information and censoring users’ posts,<ref>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1080/09512748.2016.1201132| issn = 0951-2748| volume = 30| issue = 2| pages = 169–187| last = Bui| first = Nhung T.| title = Managing anti-China nationalism in Vietnam: evidence from the media during the 2014 oil rig crisis| journal = The Pacific Review|access-date= 2021-03-06| date = 2017-03-04| s2cid = 156373670| url = https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09512748.2016.1201132}}</ref> and banning Internet users from organizing for anti-state purposes.<ref>{{Cite web| last = The ASEAN Post| title = Vietnam's new cybersecurity laws a threat to freedom| work = The ASEAN Post|access-date= 2021-04-11| url = https://theaseanpost.com/article/vietnams-new-cybersecurity-laws-threat-freedom}}</ref> Many articles are ambiguously worded and allow for broad manipulation and interpretation by authorities – Article 8 and 15 of the law, for example, could lead people to being charged for extremely vague offenses such as “negating the revolution achievement” or giving “misleading information causing confusion among the people”.<ref>{{Cite web| last = Amnesty International| title = Viet Nam: Proposed cybersecurity law threatens to stamp out online freedom|access-date= 2021-04-11| url = https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/06/viet-nam-proposed-cybersecurity-law-threatens-to-stamp-out-online-freedom/}}</ref> Before the law was passed, the United States and Canada had urged Vietnam to delay the vote for further review to ensure that it met global standards, voicing concerns that it may hurt digital innovation in Vietnam.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Reuters Staff| title = China warns citizens in Vietnam after protests over economic zones| work = Reuters|access-date= 2021-04-09| date = 2018-06-11| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-protests-idUSKBN1J70NS}}</ref> Critics warned that it could undermine local firms that rely heavily on the provision of cross-border services online such as cloud-computing services, which may impact the economy.<ref>{{Cite conference| last = US Department of State| title = 2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Vietnam| series = 2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices|access-date= 2021-04-10| date = 2018| url = https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/vietnam/}}</ref>

Posts by activists on social media reported police beatings and detentions by plainclothes officers. Riot police used tear gas, smoke bombs, and water cannons to disperse protesters in Binh Thuan province, and arrested over a hundred people.<ref>{{Cite web| last = Human Rights Watch| title = Vietnam: Investigate Police Response to Mass Protests| work = Human Rights Watch|access-date= 2021-04-11| date = 2018-06-15| url = https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/06/15/vietnam-investigate-police-response-mass-protests}}</ref> In the capital Hanoi, police detained more than a dozen protesters who marched down a busy street, some carrying anti-Chinese banners including one that said “No leasing land to China even for one day”. Dozens of protesters were also detained in the country’s economic hub, Ho Chi Minh City.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Reuters Staff| title = China warns citizens in Vietnam after protests over economic zones| work = Reuters|access-date= 2021-04-09| date = 2018-06-11| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-protests-idUSKBN1J70NS}}</ref>

'''11 June (Monday)''': Protests in the cities were quickly suppressed, but those in Binh Thuan continued. Police formed barricades with their shields across town roads and tear gas was fired into the crowd.<ref>{{Cite news| last = BBC News| title = Vietnam detains 100 after anti-China economic zone protests turn violent| work = BBC News|access-date= 2021-04-11| date = 2018-06-11| url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44436019}}</ref> Police arrested another 100 people on the night of 11 June, and it was unclear how many protesters from the weekend were released.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Reuters Staff| title = Vietnam says will deal with 'extremists' behind protest clashes| work = Reuters|access-date= 2021-04-09| date = 2018-06-12| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-vietnam-protests-idUKKBN1J81GR}}</ref>

'''12 June (Tuesday)''': State media reported on Tuesday that tensions in Binh Thuan province had subsided.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Reuters Staff| title = Vietnam says will deal with 'extremists' behind protest clashes| work = Reuters|access-date= 2021-04-09| date = 2018-06-12| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-vietnam-protests-idUKKBN1J81GR}}</ref> The government regained control of government buildings occupied over the previous weekend.<ref>{{Cite web| last = Vu Quoc Ngu| title = Mass protests sweep Vietnam for the first time in decades| work = Waging Nonviolence|access-date= 2021-04-11| date = 2018-06-22| url = https://wagingnonviolence.org/2018/06/vietnam-protests-economic-zones-cyber-security/}}</ref> The police-run Ministry of Public Security continued investigations and released a statement that those who had incited people to vandalize and cause disorder would be dealt with strictly.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Reuters Staff| title = Vietnam says will deal with 'extremists' behind protest clashes| work = Reuters|access-date= 2021-04-09| date = 2018-06-12| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-vietnam-protests-idUKKBN1J81GR}}</ref>

Reuters reported that in central Ha Tinh province, thousands of people demonstrated peacefully against both laws. Protesters held signs that said “No leasing land to Chinese communists for even one day” or “Cybersecurity law kills freedom”. This was confirmed by three witnesses and livestream footages on Facebook.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Reuters Staff| title = Thousands hold peaceful protests in Vietnam against foreign investment plans| work = Reuters|access-date= 2021-04-09| date = 2018-06-17| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-protests-idUSKBN1JD0CW}}</ref> The demonstration lasted for two hours on Sunday morning without any clashes with the police.

'''12 July''': A court in Binh Thuan province jailed six Vietnamese over “disturbing public order” through their participation in the protests, with sentences betweenof two to two and a half years each. All six had admitted guilt during the one-day trial.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Reuters Staff| title = Vietnam jails six for economic zone protest clashes| work = Reuters|access-date= 2021-04-11| date = 2018-07-12| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-security-trials-idUSKBN1K21IT}}</ref> In the same week, then-US Secretary of State [[Mike Pompeo]] encouraged a speedy resolution regarding the issue of Will Nguyen during meetings with Vietnamese officials in Hanoi.

'''23 July''': A court in Binh Thuan province jailed another ten Vietnamese protesters, aged between 18 and 43, over “causing public disorder”, with sentences betweenof two to three and a half years each.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Reuters Staff| title = Vietnam jails 10 more for protests over economic zones| work = Reuters|access-date= 2021-04-11| date = 2018-07-23| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-vietnam-security-trials-idUKKBN1KD1CS}}</ref>