On July 22, 2026, Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the Vietnamese government to release Nguyen Thanh Nam and four others connected to the publication and promotion of the book 'Conversations with Thanh: A New Narrative on Light.' In a statement, HRW emphasized that the Vietnamese authorities should immediately drop all charges against the five individuals and release them unconditionally.

On July 7, the Hanoi Police Department's Security Investigation Agency announced the initiation of a criminal case, charging Nguyen Thanh Nam and Tran Viet Anh with "making, storing, disseminating, or propagating information, documents, or items aimed at opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam" under Article 117 of the Penal Code. Nguyen Thanh Nam is the author of 'Conversations with Thanh,' while Tran Viet Anh is the founder of Spiderum, a social media platform promoted as a knowledge-sharing site for Vietnamese users.

Following their arrests, both Nam and Viet Anh appeared on VTV1 television, confessing to their actions, a common practice in high-profile cases in Vietnam. Subsequently, three key leaders of the Vietnam Writers' Association Publishing House, including Nguyen Thuy Hang, Dao Ba Doan, and Nguyen Van Yen, were also arrested under similar charges. Elaine Pearson, HRW's Asia Director, stated, "The wave of arrests over a book about Ho Chi Minh sends a chilling message to all writers, journalists, and publishers that the declaration of a new era of 'rising' merely means increased repression."

Despite Vietnam's decades of economic and social reforms, the Communist Party maintains strict control over the media and largely rejects dissenting views or interpretations that diverge from the official Party narrative, according to Reuters. Although Nguyen Thanh Nam is a lecturer on Ho Chi Minh Thought and a supporter of the communist leader, the Ministry of Public Security claims that the book distorts the history of the revolutions and the Party's policies, and insults Ho Chi Minh and other leaders.

Published in April, 'Conversations with Thanh' portrays the life and revolutionary career of Ho Chi Minh through dialogues between a teacher and a student, using everyday language aimed at making Ho Chi Minh's life and thoughts more relatable to Vietnamese youth. However, Nam's reliance on foreign sources, primarily from William J. Duiker's 'Ho Chi Minh: A Life,' and his use of contemporary slang led to severe criticism.

The backlash against the book resulted in it being withdrawn in June after facing criticism from Party members and online opinions. Over 20 Vietnamese newspapers and their staff were penalized for publishing promotional articles about the book. The Vietnam Writers' Association Publishing House was fined 100 million VND and suspended for two months, with all copies of 'Conversations with Thanh' destroyed. The climax of the incident was the police's initiation of criminal charges against the aforementioned individuals. Those convicted under Article 117 could face up to 20 years in prison.

Nguyen Thanh Nam, a devoted follower of Ho Chi Minh, had been teaching Ho Chi Minh Thought at VinUni, a university within the ecosystem of billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong. His book was intended to interpret Ho Chi Minh's career as lessons for today. However, the book's youthful and informal language, which some deemed disrespectful, sparked a wave of criticism that called for government intervention.

In a recent article submitted to BBC News Vietnamese, author Nguyen Dinh Long pointed out the escalating effects: "One author leads to one publishing house; one publishing house leads to one university; then to those who have previously praised or appeared with the author." Influential social media figures, such as Phan Trung Can, have called for severe action against those they deem responsible, including the Editor-in-Chief of the People's Newspaper, Le Quoc Minh, and the President of the Vietnam Writers' Association, Nguyen Quang Thieu.

In the midst of this growing criticism and escalating tensions, some officials, notably Luu Dinh Phuc, head of the Department of Journalism, criticized the online mobbing. Many articles from state media have also expressed opposition to this wave of denunciation. The rise of 'red opinion shapers' has coincided with the Communist Party's intensified activities to mobilize public opinion against dissenting views online.

However, recent incidents indicate that sometimes the reactions from these opinion shapers can become excessive and out of control, prompting the government to intervene and restore order.