A/HRC/26/6 I. Introduction 1. The Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, established in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 of 18 June 2007, held its eighteenth session from 27 January to 7 February 2014. The review of Viet Nam was held at the 16th meeting on 5 February 2014. The delegation of Viet Nam was headed by Ha Kim Ngoc, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. At its 18th meeting, held on 7 February 2014, the Working Group adopted the report on Viet Nam. 2. On 15 January 2014, the Human Rights Council selected the following group of rapporteurs (troika) to facilitate the review of Viet Nam: Costa Rica, Kazakhstan and Kenya. 3. In accordance with paragraph 15 of the annex to resolution 5/1 and paragraph 5 of the annex to resolution 16/21, the following documents were issued for the review of Viet Nam: (a) A national report submitted/written presentation given in accordance with paragraph 15 (a) (A/HRC/WG.6/18/VNM/1); (b) A compilation prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in accordance with paragraph 15 (b) (A/HRC/WG.6/18/VNM/2); (c) A summary prepared by OHCHR in accordance with paragraph 15 (c) (A/HRC/WG.6/18/VNM/3). 4. A list of questions prepared in advance by Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was transmitted to Viet Nam through the troika. Those questions are available on the extranet of the universal periodic review (UPR). II. Summary of the proceedings of the review process A. Presentation by the State under review 5. The Vietnamese delegation was led by Ha Kim Ngoc, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and was composed of 22 representatives from 11 government agencies, namely the Government Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, the Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs, the People’s Supreme Court, and the Mass Communication and Education Department of the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Communist Party. 6. In its first UPR in May 2009, Viet Nam received 123 recommendations from 60 countries, 96 of which were accepted. To date, all accepted recommendations have been implemented in all domains, particularly the development of laws and policies on human rights, poverty reduction, sustainable economic development, social security, employment, education and health care, fundamental freedoms of citizens and the rights of vulnerable groups. 7. It has been the consistent policy of Viet Nam to respect, protect and promote all fundamental human rights and freedoms, and this has constituted the guiding principle for 3