Obama tells Vietnam: Human rights are ‘no threat to stability’

President Obama on Tuesday called on Vietnam’s Communist leaders to make strides in human rights.

{mosads}The president said during a speech in Hanoi that allowing freedom of expression would boost the nation’s economy.

“When there is freedom of expression and freedom of speech, and when people can share ideas and access the Internet and social media without restriction, that fuels the innovation economies need to thrive,” he said, according to a White House transcript of the speech. “That’s where new ideas happen. That’s how a Facebook starts. That’s how some of our greatest companies began — because somebody had a new idea. It was different. And they were able to share it.”

Obama also made the case for a free press to combat corruption and build “public confidence that the system works” and called for free elections.

“When candidates can run for office and campaign freely, and voters can choose their own leaders in free and fair elections, it makes the countries more stable, because citizens know that their voices count and that peaceful change is possible,” he said. “And it brings new people into the system.

“When there is freedom of religion, it not only allows people to fully express the love and compassion that are at the heart of all great religions, but it allows faith groups to serve their communities through schools and hospitals, and care for the poor and the vulnerable,” he added. “And when there is freedom of assembly — when citizens are free to organize in civil society — then countries can better address challenges that government sometimes cannot solve by itself. So it is my view that upholding these rights is not a threat to stability, but actually reinforces stability and is the foundation of progress.”

Vietnam released a political dissident shortly before Obama arrived in what was widely seen as a gesture of goodwill.

Three people invited to a civil society meeting with the president later Tuesday did now show up, presumably because they were blocked from attending, Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters. 

The incident offered a stark reminder of the Vietnamese government’s restrictions on freedom of speech and political opposition. 

On Monday, Obama lifted an arms embargo imposed on Vietnam during the Cold War, a move derided by some in Congress and activists who say the country hasn’t made enough progress with human rights.

During his speech on Tuesday, Obama said these rights are embedded in the country’s ideals.

“After all, it was a yearning for these rights that inspired people around the world, including Vietnam, to throw off colonialism,” he said. “And I believe that upholding these rights is the fullest expression of the independence that so many cherish, including here, in a nation that proclaims itself to be ‘of the People, by the People and for the People.’ ”

Jordan Fabian contributed.

— This report was updated at 8:53 a.m.