Vietnam Government and Media Profile

Vietnam Political Orientation

Government

Government Type: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Chief of State: President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (Party General Secretary and the President)
Head of Government: Prime Minister: Phạm Minh Chính
Political Party: The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) (Vietnam is a one-party state)
Political Position: Communism

Press Freedom

MBFC’s Country Freedom Rating: 21.79 – Total Oppression
World Press Freedom Rank: Vietnam 178/180

According to Reporters without Borders, in Vietnam, the media is tightly controlled by the communist party, and “the only sources of independently-reported information are bloggers” The organization RSF also warned that Police persecution of journalists based on national security is standard practice and to justify jailing, the party often “resorts increasingly to articles 79, 88 and 258 of the criminal code,” which has long prison terms. For the internet, RSF points out the party established a cyber-warfare department called “Force 47.”

Media Ownership and Government Analysis

Vietnam is a one-party-led communist state, and the media is strictly controlled by the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). Criticism of the party is a criminal offense under Article 117 of the Vietnamese Penal Code. For example, Amnesty International reports that human rights activist Pham Doan Trang was persecuted due to her work which was referred to by Vietnamese authorities as “anti-state propaganda.” Further, VOA (Voice of America) reports that recently (2020), another blogger Pham Chi Thanh who used to work for the state-owned Voice of Vietnam radio station, was arrested under the same Article 117 of the Criminal Code. He is accused of “producing and keeping documents “of propaganda against the State” and published a critical book of Communist Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong. VOA reports that Vietnamese authorities transferred Pham Chi Thanh to a Psychiatric Hospital despite his wife saying, “I’ve been living with him for years; I know that his mental health is normal. He doesn’t have a problem.”

On 11/4/2022, it was announced that Vietnam’s information minister would tighten regulations to deal with “false” content on social media platforms so that it must be taken down within 24 hours instead of 48 hours previously. They will also increase fines, further limiting freedom of expression.

The state controls all print and broadcast outlets, and TV remains the most popular medium, with national broadcaster Vietnam Television (VTV) dominating the media market. The VTC Vietnam Multimedia Corporation is a Vietnamese state-owned enterprise that operates under the Ministry of Information and Communication, which controls the media. Regarding Internet consumers, social media use has been increasing in recent years, especially among citizen journalists and bloggers who are subject to the government’s crackdown.

In summary, the press of Vietnam is absolutely controlled by the Vietnamese government, with no freedom to oppose the government.

Country Rating Methodology

Top 5 Vietnam Media Sources by Web Rank

Last Updated on May 13, 2023 by Media Bias Fact Check