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Timeline
April 1992 – A new constitution introduces economic freedoms but reaffirms the central role of the Communist Party in society and government.
July 1995 – Vietnam and the U.S. restore full diplomatic relations. The U.S. reopens its embassy in Hanoi in August. Vietnam becomes a member of the regional political and economic organization the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
May 1998 – Eleven party members send a letter to top party and government officials accusing senior party member Pham The Duyet and Vice Chairman of the Hanoi City People's Committee Dinh Hanh of corruption. The letter, titled "From the Hearts to Improve the Party," details several instances of their alleged wrongdoing and compiles a list of the properties they accumulated over the years. In July, 10 other party members submit a letter calling for an investigation into the financial dealings of Pham The Duyet and six other top officials. The letters are noteworthy in that the writers identify themselves by name and address and, by making serious accusations against senior officials, challenge the authority of the Communist Party.
August 1998 – Prime Minister Phan Van Khai signs a decree requiring government officials, excluding senior party members, to disclose their personal assets.
January 1999 – High-ranking party member Tran Do is expelled after calling for democratic reforms and greater individual freedoms.
May 1999 – One of the biggest fraud and corruption trials in Vietnam's history begins in Ho Chi Minh City. Seventy-seven defendants, including business executives, government officials and bankers, face charges of being involved in sham financial transactions that caused losses estimated at more than four trillion dong (US$250 million). More than 100 local journalists have been authorized to cover the trial from which all foreign journalists are barred. The trial concludes in August with all 77 defendants being found guilty and four receiving death sentences.
May 1999 – The National Assembly changes the press law to require journalists to compensate anyone hurt by assertions contained in an article, even if they are true.
November 1999 – Several high-ranking officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Ngo Xuan Loc, former central bank governor Cao Sy Kien, and former customs chief Phan Van Dinh, are dismissed for mismanagement. Since the Communist Party began its anti-corruption "self-criticism campaign" earlier in the year, approximately 1,500 officials have been suspended or disciplined.
July 2000 – Vietnam opens its first stock exchange, the Ho Chi Minh City Securities Trading Centre (HSTC).
April 2001 – Progressive reformer Nong Duc Manh is appointed general secretary of the Communist Party.
June 2002 – The government bans citizens from having access to foreign satellite television programs. Under the ban, only members of the government and the party, provincial governors and mayors can view such programs. Foreign media outlets operating in Vietnam and international hotels are allowed to have satellite receivers. Ministry of Trade permission is required for anyone wanting to import satellite equipment.
July 2002 – The National Assembly appoints President Tran Duc Luong and Prime Minister Phan Van Khai to second terms.
December 2002 – Freelance Internet journalist Nguyen Khac Toan is convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison for reporting on peasant demonstrations outside the National Assembly. He is released for good behavior in January 2006.
March 2003 – Prominent dissident Nguyen Dan Que is arrested at his home on unspecified charges, but authorities deny it has anything to do with his political opinions. He is later sentenced to 30 months in jail, but in early 2005 he and several other noted government critics are freed.
June 2003 – Notorious criminal syndicate boss Truong Van Cam, known as Nam Cam, is convicted of murder, bribery and other crimes and is sentenced to death. Of the 154 other defendants tried alongside Nam Cam are several senior party officials, three of whom are given jail sentences. Former Deputy Police Minister Bui Quoc Huy is sentenced to three years in jail for dereliction of duty. The former head of state radio, Tran Mai Hanh, is given a 10-year sentence and fined 128 million dong (US$8,000) for receiving bribes. Former Deputy State Prosecutor Pham Sy Chien, also convicted of receiving bribes, is given a 6-year sentence and fined 434 million dong (US$27,000).
July 2005 – Publisher Pham Nga is forced to resign from his company purportedly because he plans to publish the memoirs of former Deputy Prime Minister Doan Duy Thanh, a book seen as critical of the Communist Party.
April 2006 – Transport Minister Dao Dinh Binh resigns amid allegations that members of his staff embezzled state funds to bet on soccer games. His deputy, Nguyen Viet Tien, is arrested for his role in the scandal.
June 2006 – The government approves new press regulations that, among other restrictions, will punish various kinds of anti-government speech and require journalists to have articles reviewed before publication.
June 2006 – President Tran Duc Luong and Prime Minister Phan Van Khai resign. Nguyen Minh Triet becomes president, Nguyen Tan Dung becomes prime minister and Hanoi party leader Nguyen Phu Trong is chosen as chairman of the Assembly.
June 2006 – The National Assembly introduces an anti-corruption bill that will require state officials, civil servants and army and police officers to disclose assets worth roughly 50 million dong (US$3,150) or more. The bill will also require them to disclose the assets of their spouses and children.
July 2006 – Prime Minister Dung suspends police general Cao Ngoc Oanh and accepts the resignation of deputy minister Nguyen Van Lam. Both men are suspected of participating in a cover-up of the transport ministry gambling scandal, and Lam also admitted to accepting improper "gifts" from state agencies.
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