The rights to life and to pursue happiness, freedom and equality are fundamental human rights. Human rights are the outcome of the long- history of the human struggle for liberation, and social and natural reforms. However, human rights bear national, regional, historical, regional, cultural and religious characteristics.

The Vietnamese people have been victims of colonialism and have shed blood in the struggle for national liberation. They thoroughly understand the value of independence and freedom. The Vietnamese Party and State have always held the view that human rights cannot be higher than sovereignty, and are secured on socio-economic conditions and cultural tradition. They have firmly fought against any acts in the name of “democracy” and “human rights” to interfere in the internal affairs of a sovereign country.

Our late President Ho Chi Minh commenced Vietnam’s Declaration of Independence on Sept. 2, 1945 by quoting that of the United States, “All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Inheriting and promoting the value of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought and the nation’s cultural tradition, the Vietnamese Party and State’s consistent view on human rights is to liberate the people from oppression and exploitation and bring them freedom, prosperity and happiness. They affirm that the people and human rights are the objective and motivation of Vietnam’s revolution. Our aim is to build a socialist Vietnam with a rich people, strong country and a fair, democratic and civilised society to contribute to the common struggle of peace-loving people of the world in their fight for peace and social process. Our Party and State affirm that human rights are the common outcome and wishes of humankind. Human rights conform to basic national rights and cannot transcend sovereignty. This is an immutable and consistent principle. Our Party maintains that human liberation will bring about the rights of individual freedom combined with national and class liberation and the reform of the old society.

Currently, hostile forces are taking advantage of “democratic”, “human rights”, “religious”, and “national” issues to intervene in our country’s internal affairs. They have clamoured that “human rights transcending sovereignty”, give absolute rights to individual liberty and put individual prerogative higher than national sovereignty. So, we should further heighten vigilance in the firm struggle to foil their “peaceful evolution” plot, mainly in the fields of politics, ideology, democracy, human rights and religion. In any situation, we should always persevere in the principle that “human rights cannot transcend and deny national sovereignty”.