on December 24, 2024, Decree 163/2024/ND-CP provides comprehensive guidance for
implementing the 2023 Telecommunications Law, which took effect on July 1, 2024486.
Vietnam is a lucrative market for social media platforms, and these platforms—
particularly Meta—have long been documented as serving the government’s interests.
In January 2025, it was reported that the Facebook page of the U.S.-funded Radio Free
Asia (RFA) Vietnamese service suddenly lost content posted in 2024 and 2025 487.
However, the incident reportedly lasted only a few minutes before the missing content
reappeared. A similar incident also occurred on the Vietnamese-language Facebook pages
of Voice of America (VOA) and the BBC488.
In December 2025, Luật Khoa, an independent Vietnamese-language magazine, reported
that Meta had blocked access to the accounts of several pro-democracy activists, as well
as the pages of Thoibao.de and Việt Tân489. Thoibao.de is an independent media outlet,
while Việt Tân is a political party that advocates reforms in Vietnam. According to the report,
these pages were blocked at the request of the Vietnamese government490. The pages
reportedly display the message, “This content is not available in Vietnam.”491
Vietnam is also known for Force 47, a military-affiliated cyber unit tasked with protecting
the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam’s (CPV) ideology. First publicly unveiled in 2017,
it reportedly had 10,000 personnel. There is also Steering Committee 35, composed of
CPV members with a similar mandate. Both Force 47 and Steering Committee 35 have
reportedly integrated the issue of AI technology into their strategies to target narratives
deemed harmful to “national security.”492, 493
“Does the Ministry of Public Security Want to Ban Telegram to Combat Crime or to Control Information?”
BBC News Tiếng Việt, 4 June 2025, www.bbc.com/vietnamese/articles/c5ykv3j5xrjo.
487.
“Content on RFA’s Facebook Page Suddenly Disappeared Without a Trace.” Radio Free Asia, 30 Jan. 2025,
www.rfa.org/vietnamese/trong-nuoc/2025/01/30/noi-dung-tren-facebook-cua-rfa-tieng-viet-tunam-2024-den-2025-bien-mat.
488.
Ibid.
489.
Trịnh, Long Hữu, and Lê Giang. “Facebook Blocked the Pages of Lê Trung Koa, Nguyễn Văn Đài , and
Việt Tân in Vietnam—at the Request of the Government.” Luật Khoa, 8 Dec. 2025, luatkhoa.com/2025/12/
facebook-chan-trang-cua-le-trung-khoa-nguyen-van-dai-va-viet-tan-o-viet-nam-theo-yeu-cau-cuachinh-phu.
490.
Ibid.
491.
Ibid.
492.
“The Stuggles to Protect the Party’s Ideological Foundation Against Challenges From “Color Revolutions”
and “Soft Invasion” in the Digital Age and Artificial Intelligence.” Lam Dong Provincial Police Department,
11 Sep. 2025, congan.lamdong.gov.vn/thong-bao-cong-khai-noi-dung-ke-hoach-tuan-tra-kiem-soattren-tuyen-quoc-lo-1a-N1011.aspx.
493.
“The National Defense Academy Conducts Training on the Use of Artificial Intelligence.” Nhân Dân, 1 Apr.
2025, nhandan.vn/hoc-vien-quoc-phong-tap-huan-su-dung-tri-tue-nhan-tao-post869237.html.
486.
97