US Vice President Raises Rights Issues During Visit to Vietnam

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris raised human rights issues with Vietnamese leaders during a visit aimed at bolstering strategic ties with the country, she said in Hanoi on Thursday.

Harris said she specifically discussed the release of political dissidents but did not disclose the results, saying only at a news conference the U.S. must “continue to speak up, when necessary, about human rights issues.”  Vietnam has been the target of global criticism for limiting free speech, a free press and clamping down on those it considers political dissidents. “We're not going to shy away from difficult conversations," Harris said.