WASHINGTON, Jan 31 AFP - The United States has criticised Vietnam's civil rights record as "still poor", citing limits on freedom of expression, worship and assembly in the State Department's annual human rights report.

"The government continued to repress basic political and some religious freedoms and to commit numerous abuses," the 12-page report released today said.

It noted that the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam has a monopoly which undermines the constitutional independence of the national assembly and the judiciary.

"Under the control of the party and the government, the ministry (of interior) enforces laws and regulations that significantly restrict individual liberties and violate other human rights," it said.

The government continues to hold political prisoners jailed for the peaceful expression of dissenting political or religious views, saying as many as 200 political prisoners may be in detention.

Prominent dissidents include Doan Viet Hoat, serving a 15-year sentence for publishing a reformist newsletter in 1990 and Nguyen Dinh Huy, who organized a conference on democracy in 1993.

It cited harsh prison conditions of overcrowding, insufficient diet and poor sanitation, saying there are some reports of forced labour, sometimes as part of commercial ventures.

The report noted that while freedom of speech and of expression are provided for in the constitution, in practice they are routinely restricted.

All mass media must be government owned and debate on the role of the party, criticize individual government leaders or on multiparty democracy is not tolerated.

In October, Nguyen Hoang Linh, editor of a weekly newspaper was arrested for "revealing state secrets" in a series of articles that criticised the role played by a top customs official in a corrupt purchase of patrol boats.

The report also noted that religious freedoms are restricted, as is the right to freely assemble by limiting organizations to those officially recognized by the state.

For example, all Vatican appointments must be approved by the government which also limits the officially recognized Catholic Church, with nearly seven million members, to operating six seminaries with about 600 students, all of whom must be approved by the government.

The Church is also denied the right to do charitable works or conduct education the report said. The only officially recognized Buddhist Church of Vietnam is subject to similar restrictions.

However, the non government sanctioned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, estimates that 70 of its members were in detention, the report said.

However, it noted that the government "continued to arrest and detain citizens arbitrarily saying that although the law protects the rights of detainees, authorities often ignore these legal safeguards".

The government does not permit private local human rights groups to operate in Vietnam and generally prohibits private citizens from contacting international human rights groups, the report said.