to disclose the identities of their sources in connection with criminal investigations, prosecutions, or trials479. Control of information is the approach adopted by the government to ensure that, in Vietnam at least, the flow of information to users consists only of content that benefits the government and the ruling CPV. Over the years, its strategies have included cracking down on independent media and journalists, ordering social media platforms to comply with state rules or face service disruptions, and operating a cyber army to manipulate online content. These approaches systematically reinforce one another. Under Tô Lâm, the government has also restructured the country’s media in a move that observers say allows the CPV to spread propaganda more efficiently480, 481. In May 2025, the government reportedly moved to block the Telegram messaging application, citing concerns over “national security,” the spread of “toxic content,” and the platform’s impact on the country’s “moral standards.”482, 483 Authorities reportedly claimed that “68 percent of the 9,600 Telegram channels and groups in the country were created by opposition and reactionary elements spreading anti-government documents.”484 Under Decree 147/2024/ND-CP, which came into force on December 25, 2024, social media companies operating in Vietnam are required to store user data, provide it to authorities upon request, and remove content the government deems “illegal” within 24 hours485. As Telegram did not comply with the government’s request, the authorities subsequently blocked access to the platform under Article 79(1)(c) of Decree 163/2024/ND-CP. Issued Guarascio, Francesco. “Vietnam Set to Make It Harder for Media to Protect Sources, to Expand State Secrets.” Reuters, 11 Dec. 2025, www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/vietnam-set-make-it-harder-media-protect-sources-expand-state-secrets-2025-12-10. 480. “Vietnam’s Media Restructuring Will Lead to More Propaganda, Critics Warn.” VOA, 23 Jan. 2025, www. voanews.com/a/vietnam-s-media-restructuring-will-lead-to-more-propaganda-critics-warn/7947621. html. 481. Giàu, Ngọc, et al. “Vietnam’s State Media in Flux: Government Launches Press-Reform Initiative.” The Vietnamese, 21 Mar. 2025, www.thevietnamese.org/2025/03/vietnams-state-media-in-flux-governmentlaunches-press-reform-initiative. 482. Nguyen, Jason. “Telegram Banned in Việt Nam: A New Era of Increased Cyber Censorship?” The Vietnamese, 14 Aug. 2025, www.thevietnamese.org/2025/08/telegram-banned-in-viet-nam-a-newera-of-increased-cyber-censorship. 483. “Vietnam to Block Messaging App Telegram Over ‘Anti-State’ Contents.” Radio Free Asia, 23 May 2025, www.rfa.org/english/vietnam/2025/05/23/vietnam-telegram-ban. 484. Nguyen, Jason. “Telegram Banned in Việt Nam: A New Era of Increased Cyber Censorship?” The Vietnamese, 14 Aug. 2025, www.thevietnamese.org/2025/08/telegram-banned-in-viet-nam-a-newera-of-increased-cyber-censorship. 485. “Critics Decry Vietnam’s ‘Draconian’ New Internet Law.” The Guardian, 23 Dec. 2024, www.theguardian. com/world/2024/dec/23/vietnam-identity-verification-internet-law-reactions-decree-147-censorship. 479. 96