Fearing a color revolution, Hanoi implements new decree that increases restrictions on associations
On December 16, 2024, Project88 released its analysis of Vietnam’s new decree (Decree 126) on associations. Decree 126 came into effect on November 26, 2024. Compared to Decree 45, which it replaced, the new decree makes it more difficult to establish an association and gives the government more power to control and monitor the activities and funding sources of associations once they are established. Most notably, Decree 126 grants the government the power to suspend and dissolve associations—a power it did not have previously.
According to the government, Decree 126 was needed to:
- Ensure party control over associations.
- Prevent foreign influence on domestic affairs.
- Clarify the role of associations in policymaking.
Decree 126 is the latest in a series of policy measures that are part of a new wave of repression in the country. On July 13, 2023, the Communist Party of Vietnam issued Directive 24, which frames foreign influence on Vietnamese civil society as a threat to national security and orders further restrictions on local organizations. In a communication to the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Home Affairs named Directive 24 as a driving force for the need to replace Decree 45 with Decree 126. Decree 126 is the latest in a series of policies that, whatever their stated aims, will further suppress Vietnamese civil society.
The fact that Decree 126 was driven by Directive 24 highlights how Directive 24 is not “business as usual,” as some have argued, but rather is part of a new wave of repression that is shaping policymaking in a way that will place more restrictions on civil society. As Decree 126 is implemented, we can expect that Vietnam’s nascent civil society will be further suppressed.
Read the report here
