Spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang made the remarks on March 14 in response to reporters’ questions about Vietnam’s reaction to the 2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices of the US Department of State.

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The Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang

Hang underlined that the fundamental rights of freedom of Vietnamese citizens are stipulated in the country’s Constitution and law in accordance with international treaties on human rights, of which Vietnam is a member, and these rights are respected and ensured in reality. The country’s efforts and achievements in this field have been recognized and highly evaluated by the international community.

Regarding economy-society, the annual average per capita GDP continued to increase in 2018. The rate of poor households was reduced to 5.35 percent, down by 1.35 percent compared to 2017. Meanwhile 87.7 percent of local people benefited from health insurance, up by 2.31 percent against 2017. In the ongoing 2018-2019 academic year, the country has more than 23.5 million students, up by over one million against the previous school year. Nearly 70 percent of the population has access to the Internet.

Additionally, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) working group of the UN Human Rights Council adopted a report on the third review of Vietnam on January 25. Winning trust from the international community, Vietnam will host the UN Day of Vesak in May 2019, she added.

The spokesperson emphasized that Vietnam is willing to discuss with the US within current frameworks about issues of mutual concern in the spirit of frankness, openness, and mutual respect, contributing to increasing mutual understanding and prompting the bilateral comprehensive partnership.

Translated by Chung Anh