President Nguyen Minh Triet

Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet will make a rare visit to the Vatican next week to reinforce ties between the communist state and the Holy See, the government said Thursday. The two sides do not have diplomatic relations but in recent years have begun a reconciliation. Triet's December 11 Vatican stop will be part of a European tour taking in Italy, Spain and Slovakia. "During his visit to Italy, Nguyen Minh Triet will have a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI," said Nguyen Phuong Nga, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman. They will discuss "measures to reinforce relations between Vietnam and the Vatican," which she ... Read Full Story

A renowned Buddhist teacher has decried the eviction of his followers from a monastery in southern Vietnam, and Vietnamese intellectuals have issued a petition to support them, an unusual move in this communist country where free speech is restricted. Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese-born Zen master who popularized Buddhism in the West, wrote a letter last week to President Nguyen Minh Triet in which he criticized the police who evicted nearly 400 of his followers from a monastery — the first time the teacher has spoken out about the incident. His followers say a mob including undercover police descended on the Bat Nha monastery ... Read Full Story

A dissident Catholic priest whose release has been sought by US lawmakers failed to make an amnesty list of more than 5,000 prisoners announced by Vietnam on Monday. Nguyen Van Ly, jailed for eight years in 2007, is in deteriorating health, his sister told AFP shortly before government officials announced the amnesty to mark Vietnam's September 2 National Day. Ly was convicted at a half-day trial in the city of Hue for spreading propaganda against the communist state, in a case that drew condemnation from diplomats, Vietnam watchers and human rights groups. Prosecutors said Ly was a founding member of the banned "Bloc 8406" ... Read Full Story

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov began a two-day visit to Vietnam Saturday, with local officials hoping to boost ties that remain only a shadow of Cold War levels. Lavrov arrived Friday and began a full day of meetings and ceremonies Saturday by holding talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Gia Khiem. Lavrov was later to meet President Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and visit the Vietnam Russia Bank, a joint venture. The visit aims "to accelerate the implementation... of cooperation" between the two countries especially in trade and economics, Vietnam's Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Dung said ahead of Lavrov's arrival. ... Read Full Story

Thirty-seven U.S. senators are asking Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet to release a dissident Roman Catholic priest serving prison and house arrest terms totaling 13 years. In a letter sent through the Vietnamese Embassy, the senators said the Rev. Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly had no lawyers during his four-hour trial and was silenced repeatedly by a security guard who put his hand over the priest's mouth, then removed him from the courtroom. The letter also requested information about the 63-year-old Ly's health and welfare. Signers included the Senate's assistant majority leader, Democrat Richard Durbin of Illinois, and his counterpart for the Republicans, Jon Kyl ... Read Full Story