Invitation: LIV's virtual seminars on Vietnam's internet freedom - June 19, 27; July 2

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Note: We have updated the time and speakers of the 3rd seminar. Thank you for your understanding.

Dear friends and colleagues,

You received this email because you subscribed to LIV's newsletters. And we have some exciting news for you today.

Legal Initiatives for Vietnam is holding a series of virtual seminars on the state of Vietnam's internet freedom, alongside the release of LIV's new report on the issue.

This report offers a detailed account of Vietnam's internet regulations on freedom of expression and personal data protection, how foreign technology companies such as Meta, Google, and Netflix handle the Vietnamese government's pressure, and provides recommendations for tech companies and governments.

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Participants will have early access to the report, which we will be delighted to send to you by email shortly after each seminar. The official release will be on July 1st, following our final online session.

We will host a series of three online seminars to present the report and discuss key issues, starting next week. These seminars will be conducted in English and are scheduled at different times to accommodate participants from around the world. You are welcome to join any or all of them.



Time: Wednesday, June 19th 2024, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Vietnam time
Speaker: Trịnh Hữu Long - Editor-in-Chief, Legal Initiatives for Vietnam
Discussant: Svetlana Zens - ETIF Programme Manager, ARTICLE 19, Asia
This discussion will be followed by a Q/A session.


2nd Seminar

Vietnam's Internet Regulations On Freedom Of Speech: An International Human Rights Law Perspective

Time: Thursday, June 27th 2024, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Vietnam time 
Speaker: Nguyễn Quốc Tấn Trung - Ph.D in Public International Law, University of Victoria, Canada
Host: Trịnh Hữu Long - Editor-in-Chief, Legal Initiatives for Vietnam
This discussion will be followed by a Q/A session.

About the speaker:

Trung has PhD in Public International Law from the University of Victoria, where he also held several academic posts, including teaching fellow in international legal process and sessional instructor in international relations. Trung has been selected as the 2024 visiting scholar at the Hague Academy of International for the Academy's traditional annual research project, this year on international crises.

His work has appeared in the Cambridge Journal of International Law, the Journal of Conflict and Security Law (OUP), The Conversation, The Diplomat, and others, covering intervention, state responsibilities, and ASEAN experiences of international law.


3rd Seminar 

Task Force 35 And How The Vietnamese Government Manipulates Online Discussion

Time: Tuesday, 8:30 PM - 9:30 PM, July 2, 2024, Vietnam time
Speaker: Điền Lương - PhD student at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Discussant: Trịnh Hữu Long - Editor-in-Chief, Legal Initiatives for Vietnam
This discussion will be followed by a Q/A session.

About the speaker:

Dien Luong is currently an associate fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore and a PhD student at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Dien's research probes the complex nexus of geopolitics and social media, scrutinizing online censorshipBig Tech-government relations, and the evolving media landscape in Southeast Asia. Dien's scholarly contributions include book chapters and monographs, complemented by a portfolio of OpEds in various publications, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Nikkei Asiathe HuffPostthe GuardianSouth China Morning Post, among others. He has held fellowship positions at the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard Kennedy School, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

At the University of Michigan, Dien is currently engaged in two major research projects. The first one investigates the crucial role of digital surveillance in state governance and its impact on privacy, security, and digital freedoms, highlighting the pervasive use of mobile phone data by both authoritarian and democratic regimes. The second one examines the digital threats faced by journalists globally and the effectiveness of advocacy organizations in supporting journalists in politically volatile environments, aiming to enhance protections and understand the impact of digital transformation on journalism.


We would love for you to participate and help us spread the word about these seminars on internet freedom in Vietnam. Your presence and engagement would mean a lot to us. Please feel free to share this invitation with your colleagues and anyone who might be interested.

Thank you for your attention. We look forward to seeing you at the events!

Warm regards,

​Trần Quỳnh Vi
Executive Director

Learn more about LIV:

About us
Legal Initiatives for Vietnam’s (LIV) mission is to build a democratic society in Vietnam through independent journalism, research, and education. LIV was founded by Trịnh Hữu Long, Trần Quỳnh-Vi, Phạm Đoan Trang and Trương Tự Minh in 2014 as a small legal publication, which has now become its core project