More than 8,000 people are to be released from prisons in Vietnam, according to the country's communist party leadership.
The releases are taking place in connection with the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), which secured the communist North Vietnam's victory in the Vietnam War. The government often announces releases and amnesties on such holidays.
Among the people to be released are 25 foreign nationals, but likely no political activists who have been imprisoned. If one is convicted of rebellious acts or what is stamped as terrorism in Vietnam, then releases are ruled out.
In total, 197,000 people were imprisoned in Vietnam, according to the official statistics available at the end of January. The human rights organization Amnesty International estimates that more than 160 political prisoners are being held in the country.
