In 2006, the US State Department removed Vietnam from its list of Countries of Particular Concern, citing the release of religious prisoners and the easing of religious restrictions.
Two months later, the US granted Vietnam permanent normal trade status, paving the way for Vietnam to join the World Trade Organisation in January 2007.
As soon as Vietnam’s regime had secured its goals, however, it unleashed a crackdown. Among the first to be arrested was internationally acclaimed human rights lawyer and religious liberty advocate Nguyen Van Dai, a Protestant Christian.
