Vietnam arrests 3 publishing bosses over controversial Ho Chi Minh book

Police in Vietnam said on Wednesday they had arrested three executives of a publishing house that released a book on Ho Chi Minh, the revered founder of the country’s Communist Party.

The author of Stories with Thanh - A New Account of Light, former telecoms executive Nguyen Thanh Nam, was arrested on anti-state charges in early July, along with an influencer who promoted the book on his social media channels.

The book, which has been recalled by its publisher under pressure from authorities, recounts Ho Chi Minh’s years abroad seeking ways to spark national liberation back home.

Hanoi police said on Wednesday they had arrested the director, editor-in-chief and head of the editorial board of the Vietnam Writers’ Association Publishing House, which published the book in May.

Like the author, they face charges of “producing, possessing, distributing or disseminating information, documents or items aimed at opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam”, according to a police statement.

“All three were involved in editing, revising, publishing, and promoting the book... which distorts the history of the revolutions, the policies and guidelines of the party and state,” the statement said.