The European Union and Viet Nam held their annual Human Rights Dialogue in Brussels on 2 July 2026, the first such meeting since the two sides upgraded their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in January 2026. The dialogue, co-chaired by EEAS Deputy Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific Dominic Porter and Viet Nam's Director-General of the Department of International Organisations Hoang Thi Thanh Nga, with opening remarks by EU Special Representative for Human Rights Kajsa Ollongren, covered political and civil rights, economic and social rights, rule of law, and human rights in multilateral fora.
Viet Nam shared updates on its national development policies, protection of vulnerable groups, and its February 2026 presentation of the ninth national report on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The EU reiterated concerns over civil and political rights, including freedom of expression, assembly, association, and religion, highlighting incompatibilities of Viet Nam's penal code and laws on associations and media with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The EU also expressed serious concerns about reports of transnational repression affecting individuals in EU territory, raised specific cases of political prisoners and human rights defenders, called for prison visits and release of those with serious medical conditions, and urged a moratorium on the death penalty while noting Viet Nam's efforts to reduce capital crimes.
Both sides exchanged views on human rights in UN bodies, with Viet Nam updating on implementation of recommendations from its last Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The EU encouraged Viet Nam to extend an open invitation to all UN Special Procedures and enhance engagement with UN mechanisms. On labour rights, the EU reminded Viet Nam of its written commitment to ratify ILO Convention 87 on freedom of association under the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). The next dialogue is scheduled for 2027 in Hanoi.