1-10-2023 (HANOI) Vietnam confirmed on Sunday the arrest of Ngo Thi To Nhien, the executive director of the Vietnam Initiative for Energy Transition (VIET), making her the sixth expert in the field of environmental issues to be taken into custody within the last two years. While a rights group reported her detention last month, official confirmation was only recently provided.
Nhien, a prominent researcher with extensive international affiliations, including organizations like the World Bank, the European Union, the United Nations, and the Asian Development Bank, was arrested on September 20 on charges of “appropriating documents.” Under the country’s criminal code, she could face up to five years in prison.
The government, responding to media reports of her arrest, emphasized that her detention was not related to environmental activism but was due to the alleged misappropriation of documents. Government spokesperson To An Xo stated that foreign media and “exiled reactionary organizations” had distorted the news. He called it an “act of interference in Vietnam’s internal affairs.”
Nhien had been working on the implementation plan for Vietnam’s Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), a significant G7-funded project worth $15 billion aimed at helping the nation transition away from fossil fuels. The news of her arrest comes shortly after the sentencing of prominent climate activist Hoang Thi Minh Hong for tax evasion, which drew international criticism.
Vietnam has committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and a group of wealthy nations pledged over $15.5 billion to support the country’s transition away from fossil fuels. Despite these environmental commitments, the government maintains a strong grip on power, tolerating little opposition to its one-party rule. Critics often face harassment, intimidation, and movement restrictions. Dissenting voices on environmental issues have found little space in the country’s political landscape.
