Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez hasn’t been shy about criticizing the Vietnamese government. She’s called for the release of imprisoned democracy advocates, and she’s co-signed a congressional letter asking Vietnamese internet providers to respect users’ privacy and free speech. She’s even asked the U.S. State Department to re-designate Vietnam as a “Country of Particular Concern” because of alleged human rights violations.

So Sanchez shouldn’t have been surprised that the country ignored her visa application again. It’s happened four times.

Vietnamese Embassy officials said they didn’t formally turn her down; they just wanted more information about who she wanted to see and the exact purpose of her visit. Sanchez said she’d planned to meet with human rights activists.

Three years ago, Sanchez tried to hold a tea party at the home of the U.S. Ambassador in Vietnam for the wives and mothers of imprisoned activists. Government soldiers prevented the women from attending.

KPCC, Southern California Public Radio - April 13, 2010

US economic official cautions Vietnam on human rights

HANOI — A visiting senior US official warned Vietnam on Monday that human rights problems in the Southeast Asian nation could damage trade between the two countries.

Campaigners have described a worsening human rights situation in Vietnam and a US State Department report published last month said the country was holding at least 60 political prisoners, including lawyers and Internet bloggers, as of the end of last year.

"We do have concerns about human rights issues in Vietnam," US under-secretary of state for economic, energy and agricultural affairs Robert Hormats told a news conference.

"There are a number of people in the United States in the Congress, and not just in the Congress as well, who are concerned about human rights issues and labour issues and if they are not managed properly I think they could have implications for the trade relationship between our two countries.

"They are seen as important by a number of people in our country and therefore they could have an influence over a period of time on our economic relationship with Vietnam but I wouldn't predict how or when," said Hormats.

After fighting a lengthy war in Vietnam in the last century, Washington has in recent decades fostered economic ties with the officially communist-ruled country.

Some observers see a link between heightened repression in Vietnam and next year's Communist Party Congress, at which high-ranking leadership posts will be apportioned.

Hormats stressed he did not want to raise tensions over the human rights issue.

"Criticism is not made to indicate that we want to have a dispute, it's meant to be as constructive as it possibly can be rather than to cause frictions," he said.

Agence France Presse - April 14, 2010