Vietnamese Dissidents: Absent from the Western Mind

For the first time since reunification in 1975, the ruling Communist Party faces a sustained and organized challenge to its legitimacy. Political dissidents from all walks of life have come together to call for elections and political pluralism. The movement is small, but it is growing, and, judging from the severity of the crackdown, the authorities are taking it seriously. Yet the outside world has barely noticed. As a journalist who has worked in Southeast Asia over the last five years and who is in contact with pro-democracy activists in Vietnam, I've often wondered why the movement has not captured the world's imagination like similar movements in China, Burma, and Zimbabwe. Whatever the reasons for this, you are likely reading about Vietnam's pro-democracy movement for the first time.