Founder Profile of the Republican Party of Vietnam (RPV) [last update 20250214]

1. OVERVIEW

2. SOME NOTABLE ACTIVITIES

Nguyễn Viết Dũng is a political activist – a fighter for human rights and environment in Vietnam. He is internationally recognized as a promoter of human rights values.

• Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) describes him as a man with the intention “to set up a (Re)public(an) Party of Vietnam in order to promote human rights and the idea of a multi-party democracy in the country”.
• Front Line Defenders (FLD) recognized him as “a human rights defender”, “a pro-democracy activist and environmental rights defender. He has campaigned for greater governmental accountability in Vietnam”.

Key Milestones in His Activism

• 2004: Champion of the Road to Mount Olympia competition in Vietnam (3rd month – 2nd Quarter, 5th Season).
• 2005 – 2021: A journey of awakening his social consciousness, and spreading it throughout the community. On numerous occasions, he raised the three-striped yellow flag (a.k.a the Freedom and Heritage flag, as the definition of abroad Vietnamese communities) to pay his respect to the values of the two Republics of the past and to restore the true historical narrative. Part of this process has been compiled by Hoàng Kỳ Bay on YouTube | Back up link: Việt Tráng Sĩ.
• 2013 – Present: Speaking out, and criticizing existing shortcomings in Vietnamese society such as shortcomings in education, the weak state in protecting whistleblowers, unjust trials, propaganda and distortion of historical truth, inadequacies in the Constitution and the need for its reform, as well as the shortcomings in the mindset of the ruling class.
• 2014: Founded the “Association of Lovers of the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces (RVNAF)” (another name: the Association of Lovers of the Army of Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)), a peaceful organization, with non-violent activities to review the country’s history, protect historical values, and “foster an unyielding patriotism“.
• 2014-2017: Activities contributing to the search for remains and building tombs of soldiers of the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces; honored the veterans of the Republic of Vietnam.
• 2014 – Present: Defending national territorial sovereignty through activities or articles that honor the soldiers who fought to protect the nation’s territory, especially on 19 January (the Paracel Naval Battle), 17 February (the Vietnam–China Border War), and 14 March (the Gạc Ma massacre in the Spartly Islands).
• 2015: Founded the Republican Party of Vietnam (RPV) with the goal of building a transparent political system under a true Republic, protecting the right to freely run for office and vote.
• 2015 – 2017: Organized and participated in numerous protests and marches to protect the environment in 2015, protested against the toxic waste discharge disaster of Formosa Ha-Tinh Steel Company (FHS) and the government’s indifference in 2016; supported victims after the Central Vietnam coastal disaster in 2016 – 2017, opposed land encroachment/forced confiscation (especially religious worship lands, such as Liên Trì Pagoda [Saigon, Buddhism], Hàng Bột Parish [Hanoi, Catholicism], Đạt Quang monastery [Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Buddhism], Xuân Mai Comunity’s Chapel [Nghe An, Catholicism]); opposed harsh laws and sub-law documents, protected people’s rights.
• 2016: Protested against forced elections with the slogan: “Voting is a right, not a duty. No knowledge [of the party-nominated candidates] – No vote”.
• 2016 – Present: Speaking out to protect those who have been harassed, arrested, imprisoned, and persecuted for their peaceful activities, including teacher Đinh Đăng Định, Đỗ Thị Minh Hạnh, Điếu Cày Nguyễn Văn Hải, Trần Thị Nga, Vũ Hồng Tố, Nguyễn Ngọc Như Quỳnh, Hoàng Đức Bình, Trần Huỳnh Duy Thức, Vũ Quang Thuận, Lê Đình Lượng, Nguyễn Đức Hùng, Thái Văn Đường, Lê Thanh Tùng, Trần Thị Tuyết Diệu, the family of Peter Lam Bui (Bùi Tuấn Lâm), Lê Văn Dũng (Vova), independent monk Thích Minh Tuệ, and many others.
• 2015 – 2023: Arbitrarily arrested many times, twice sentenced to a total of 7 years in prison for his peaceful activities. Both times, he was called for his release by many comrades, activists, citizens, lawyers, parliamentarian, organizations, party, both home and abroad. He often calls these periods as two “training courses” and “experiences” that he needs to have deeper political awareness and act more professionally.
• 2023: To avoid the risk of a third arrest, he was forced to leave Vietnam for his safety and to further develop the organization.
• 2023 – 2024: Together with his associates, he has been continuously working to adjust the direction of the party in line with modern political models from worldwide, while adapting to the realities and political environment of Vietnam. The “RPV Points of View” and the “RPV Rules” – the two most important documents of RPV, along with other documents, have gradually taken shape during this period.
• 2024: Started building the digital platform system for RPV, including DANGCONGHOA.com.
• 2024 – Present: Focusing on building and developing RPV, expanding connections with like-minded people sharing the same views, “to together turn the dream of a true Republic into reality”.

3. IDEOLOGY AND MESSAGES:

Nguyễn Viết Dũng believes that only when national pride and self-esteem are properly placed, when human rights are respected, empowering people confident in their legitimate rights and interests, when the government is accountable to the people, and when the economy is free from state-created barriers, can Vietnam develop into a civilized and prosperous country.

The core values he upholds are:

• People’s Sovereignty: Protecting the right to elect representatives of the people based on their will without coercion. Protecting basic freedoms of the people (including freedom of expression, property rights, political participation) regardless of the regime. According to him, a country without people’s sovereignty is merely a place where citizens live as exiles in their own homeland.
• Rule of Law: Building a society where the law protects the people, rather than serving as a tool of oppression, making the people afraid. According to him, if in a society, “rule of law” is only a tool for the powerful and the rich, leaving the majority in fear, then that society will never progress to civilization. A true rule-of-law society must be a society where righteous people feel secure and protected by the law.
• Transparency and Accountability: The government must be accountable for every decision and action it takes. He believes that a government without accountability becomes bureaucratic, corrupt, and degenerate.
• Free and Sustainable Economy: Promoting a market economy and protecting the environment. The state’s role in the economy is to create a legal system and favorable policies for the private economy to develop, rather than imposing complex obstacles that hinder economic development. In his view, if the government makes the private sector feel harassed, threatened, and burdened with obstacles, then the dream of prosperity will remain an unattainable dream.
• National Sovereignty: Opposing all acts of encroachment on Vietnam’s territory. According to him, protecting sovereignty should be encouraged through practical actions rather than remaining merely on paper. Moreover, the state cannot “monopolize patriotism” by prohibiting peaceful expressions of discontent when national sovereignty is violated, or by stifling the patriotic spirit of its people.

Freedom is in Our Hands: Each of us has the right to speak out peacefully without without any threat. Every peaceful action, no matter how small, contributes to the transformation society.

True power lies in the solidarity of like-minded individuals who adhere to common codes of conduct. This principle, drawn from the ancient Vietnamese wisdom of the “bundle of sticks” story, reminds us that together, we can create a civilized and prosperous Vietnam.

Other profiles of Nguyễn Viết Dũng – Founder of RPV can be accessed at: