Vietnam detains BBC journalist, holds passport amid UK visit by Hanoi leader

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published last month |  JP Global Monitoring

Vietnamese authorities are detaining a BBC journalist by holding her passport after interrogation, sparking international concern over press freedom during To Lam’s UK visit.

Summary

HO CHI MINH CITY — Vietnamese authorities have confiscated the passport of a BBC journalist and barred her from leaving the country after days of interrogation in Ho Chi Minh City, the New York Times reported. The incident has drawn international concern as Vietnam’s top leader, To Lam, visits Britain.

The journalist, a Vietnamese national based in Thailand, returned home to renew her passport in August but has since been subjected to prolonged questioning by the Ministry of Public Security, according to friends and rights groups. The BBC has urged the government to return her passport immediately.

Human rights advocates say the case highlights the growing crackdown on media freedom in Vietnam, where dissent is often punished through surveillance, intimidation, and travel bans. The British Foreign Office reiterated its support for press freedom but did not comment directly on the journalist’s case.

The BBC Vietnamese Service has long faced restrictions, including a website ban since 2002, while journalists and bloggers in Vietnam continue to face harassment and arrests for critical reporting.

Photo: A conceptual, digitally created image, not a real photograph.