Vietnam’s hallmarks on human rights journey for the people

Vietnam's greatest human right achievement is ensuring the well-being and happiness for 100 million people, with democracy, peace, security, safety, and the maximum promotion of human factor, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has stated, which succinctly reflects the core stance of the Vietnamse Party and State on protecting human rights and not leaving anyone behind during the development process, a hallmark of socialism in Vietnam.

The achievements in ensuring human rights in Vietnam over the past 79 years since its establishment, and nearly 40 years of Doi Moi (Renewal), primarily aim at delivering tangible benefits to every citizen and enhancing Vietnam's image on the global stage.

Vietnam's struggle for national independence, reunification, and its socio-economic development efforts always have the ultimate goal of ensuring the lives and rights of the Vietnamese people. In other words, every achievement in the country’s development is for the people.

Since 2019, Vietnam’s GDP has grown 25% while the household poverty rate has reduced by 1.5% annually. With effective poverty reduction alleviation measures under the motto of "leaving no one behind," the household poverty rate nationwide had dropped to 1.93% by the end of September 2024. In the same period, more than 6 trillion VND (236.4 million USD) was raised for the campaign to eliminate temporary and dilapidated housing. Vietnam now ranks 54th out of 166 countries in the Sustainable Development Index, advancing one position compared to 2023.

Professor Carl Thayer from the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy said he is impressed by Vietnam’s burgeoning economy, with a projected growth rate of 6.1 - 7% in 2024 and alongside a sharp decline in poverty. He particularly noted the social welfare achievements, including the increase of minimum wage for workers since mid-2024.

Professor Reena Marwah from the University of Delhi, who is also Secretary-General of the Association of Asia Scholars, emphasised Vietnam’s impressive progress across all sectors, not just trade and investment but also in raising per capita income. Vietnamese people have seen a significant improvement in their quality of life, with per capita income rising from around 200 USD to over 4,000 USD by 2024.

Besides these economic achievements, Vietnam has made significant strides in ensuring human rights across various aspects of social life. Civil, economic, political, and cultural rights are enshrined in the Party's guidelines and the State's policies and laws.

Jonathan Pincus, Senior International Economist at the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam, stated that human development has always been central to Vietnam’s development policy since the early days. Over the last decade, major progress has been made, particularly in access to education. Health indicators have also notably improved.

Vietnam’s health insurance coverage has increased to 94.1%, up from 90.9% in 2000. The 2024 World Happiness Report placed Vietnam 54th out of 143 countries, an improvement of 11 places.

Ramlaal Khalidi, UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam, highlighted the country’s continuous improvement in the Human Development Index (HDI). She noted that Vietnam is now among the countries with high HDI performance, attributing the result to the country’s sustainable development orientation.

Professor Thayer held that human rights protection in Vietnam is reflected in areas such as gender equality, sustainable development goals, public health, education, and policies for ethnic minorities, and the treatment of the LGBQ+ community.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has also demonstrated its ongoing efforts and sense of responsibility as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2023-2025 term. At the recent 57th session of the UNHRC, Vietnam made active contributions by chairing several initiatives and co-sponsoring many others, including some joint statements of ASEAN. The country chaired the drafting and presentation of the joint statement on promoting the human right to vaccination, while hosting the international dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to development.

Commenting on Vietnam's election as an Asian-Pacific representative in the UNHRC for two tenures, Thayer noted that the international community strongly supports the country. Layton Pike, a member of the Advisory Board of the Australia - Vietnam Policy Institute, expressed confidence that as a member of the UNHRC, Vietnam have opportunities to collaborate with Australia and other regional countries to promote fundamental human rights globally. The council has approved the results of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for Vietnam in the fourth cycle.

Commenting on Vietnam's successful tenure on the UNHRC, Professor Thayer noted that the international community strongly supports Vietnam. a member of the Australia-Vietnam Policy Institute (AVPI)'s advisory board, expressed confidence that, as a member of the UNHRC, Vietnam will have opportunities to collaborate with Australia and other regional countries to promote global human rights.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 57th UNHRC session, World Peace Council (WPC) Executive Secretary Iraklis Tsavdaridis praised Vietnam’s consistent policy on protecting and promoting human rights, particularly its achievements in eradicating extreme poverty and quickly improving its international rankings despite considerable challenges during the national construction. Vietnam has continued to focus on the protection of human rights, firstly the right to peace, well-being, prosperity, and living condition improvement day by day.

In a letter to the national conference on human rights held in October 2024, Party General Secretary To Lam reaffirmed that the implementation of the consistent viewpoint on human rights is a key factor in forming the great national solidarity bloc, combining the nation's strength with the power of the era under the Party's leadership to guide Vietnam's revolution to navigate all challenges to secure one victory to others. This encapsulates the hallmarks in Vietnam's journey to ensure human rights. Tsavdaridis, who describes Vietnam as a resilient nation, expressed confidence in witnessing further progress in the country's development, bringing prosperity, happiness, and well-being to its people.