In Vietnam, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) took over MobiFone in 2025. MobiFone, previously under the Ministry of Information and Communications, is the country’s third-largest telecommunications provider65. The MPS also acquired a majority stake in FPT Telecom, one of Vietnam’s largest internet providers. These moves are part of the broader streamlining efforts led by Tô Lâm, General-Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). The largest and second-largest telecommunications providers in the country, Viettel and Vinaphone, are also state-owned66. Together, these three companies hold around 98 percent of Vietnam’s telecommunications market67. Under Tô Lâm, the MPS, which functions as Vietnam’s national police force, has significantly expanded its role. The transfer of MobiFone to the MPS and the acquisition of FPT Telecom reinforce the perception that it will be easier for the police to conduct surveillance. In June 2025, the Personal Data Protection Law was passed, designating the MPS as the enforcement authority68. This grants the ministry the power to access personal data without consent for reasons of national security and to compel businesses to surrender user data without court approval. The ministry is also tasked with building a national information portal for personal data protection. The revised Cybersecurity Law, passed by the National Assembly in December 2025, further grants the MPS full authority over cybersecurity, replacing the previous shared model with the Ministry of Information and Communications. Among its provisions is a requirement that online service providers identify the IP addresses of all organizations and individuals using their services and provide this information to cybersecurity authorities upon request69. In Cambodia, the reported resurrection of the National Internet Gateway (NIG) could turn the country into a surveillance state70. This stems from the NIG’s potential to enable mass online monitoring mirroring China’s Great Firewall. Given Cambodia’s close relationship with China, there is no guarantee that Hun Sen’s regime will not import and deploy Chinese surveillance technologies to advance its own political interests. “Explained: Why Is Vietnam’s Police Ministry Overseeing a Large Telecom?” Radio Free Asia, 17 Jan. 2025, www.rfa.org/english/vietnam/2025/01/17/vietnam-mobifone-takeover. 66. Le, Lam. “How Vietnam’s Military Built One of the Hottest Tech Companies in Southeast Asia.” Rest of World, 10 Sep. 2025, restofworld.org/2025/vietnam-viettel-global-tech-player. 67. An, Bình, and Thúc Kháng. “The Revamped Ministry of Public Security Under General Secretary To Lam.” The Vietnamese, 19 Mar. 2025, thevietnamese.org/2025/03/the-revamped-ministry-of-public-securityunder-general-secretary-to-lam. 68. An, Trường. “Việt Nam 2025: The Power Expansion of the Ministry of Public Security.” The Vietnamese, 5 Jan. 2026, www.thevietnamese.org/2026/01/viet-nam-2025-the-power-expansion-of-the-ministryof-public-security. 69. An, Trường. “The Quiet Passing of Vietnam’s 2025 Cybersecurity Law.” The Vietnamese, 12 Dec. 2025, www. thevietnamese.org/2025/12/the-quiet-passing-of-viet-nams-2025-cybersecurity-law. 70. Kelliher, Fiona. “Cambodia Resurrects Plan for Controversial Internet Gateway.” Nikkei Asia, 20 Oct. 2025, asia.nikkei.com/business/telecommunication/cambodia-resurrects-plan-for-controversial-internetgateway. 65. 20