The global struggle for a safe cyber environment

Not only Vietnam, but many nations have enacted very strict laws to manage digital platforms. The European Union developed the Digital Services Act (DSA), applicable from 2023–2024, placing special obligations on “Very Large Online Platforms” such as Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube regarding the removal of illegal content, child protection, algorithmic transparency, and mechanisms for reporting violations, with fines potentially reaching 6% of global turnover for non-compliance.

Singapore enacted POFMA (Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act) in 2019, empowering authorities to require warnings, corrections, or even block the dissemination of “false statements of fact” prejudicial to security, social order, public health, elections, etc., but this does not apply to opinions, criticism, or satire.

Clearly, managing social media, handling fake news, and protecting personal data is a global trend, not a “private matter” of Vietnam.

Vietnam is one of the countries with the fastest digitalization rates in the region. In 2024, the country has approximately 78.44 million Internet users (79.1% of the population) and 72.7 million social media users, equivalent to 73.3% of the population. Regarding major platforms alone, it is estimated that in 2024 there are about 75–76 million Zalo accounts, 66–72 million Facebook accounts, nearly 68 million TikTok accounts, and 63 million YouTube accounts operating in Vietnam. These figures are a clear answer to the allegation that “Vietnam stifles Internet freedom”: if freedom were “stifled,” such a vibrant user market could not exist.

However, accompanying the explosion of users is a wave of cybercrime, fake news, and fraud. In 2023, the Ministry of Public Security reported prosecuting approximately 1,500 cases of fraud in cyberspace, with total estimated damages of 8,000–10,000 billion VND. A survey by the National Cybersecurity Association shows that for every 220 smartphone users, one is a victim of online fraud; in 2024 alone, damages are estimated to reach 18,900 billion VND. The Ministry of Public Security also investigated and handled over 3,000 cases related to fake news, false information, and malicious information on the Internet in 2023.

This is no longer an “individual risk,” but a major loss for the economy, society, public trust, and national prestige. In that context, leaving cyberspace to “absolute freedom” without laws is tantamount to abandoning the majority of citizens to high-tech criminals, fake news, and “information pollution”.

The Law on Cybersecurity and personal data protection: The “infrastructure of trust”

Based on the Constitution, Vietnam enacted the Law on Cybersecurity 2018 and Decree 13/2023/ND-CP on personal data protection. However, 2025 marks a historic turning point in perfecting Vietnam’s digital institutions with two important laws passed by the National Assembly.

In June 2025, at its 9th Session, the 15th National Assembly officially passed the Law on Personal Data Protection (Law No. 91/2025/QH15). This is the first specialized legal corridor upgrading regulations from Decree to Law level, meeting the urgent requirement for data rights protection in the new situation. The Law strictly prescribes the rights of data subjects (right to be informed, consent, access, rectification, and deletion), while setting strict standards for the protection of children's and vulnerable people's data. Taking effect from January 1, 2026, the Law affirms the State’s strong commitment to protecting citizens’ privacy against infringement by cross-border platforms and cybercrime.

Concurrently, the National Assembly also passed the Law on Digital Technology Industry (Law No. 71/2025/QH15). This is a breakthrough law, not only creating momentum for the "Make in Vietnam" policy but also prescribing measures to ensure cybersecurity for digital assets and new technology products such as artificial intelligence (AI). The enactment of these laws demonstrates that Vietnamese law does not stop at “management” but actively creates a safe digital environment where user interests are placed at the center.

Additionally, the Ministry of Science and Technology (formerly the Ministry of Information and Communications) and the Ministry of Public Security have issued many documents and plans to strengthen inspection and handling of crimes in the cyber environment, guiding the identification of fake news, and improving digital safety skills for citizens. In just a few localities, hundreds of cases of fake news and malicious information were handled in the first 6 months of 2024. Statistics for 2024 indicate that fines exceeding 500 million VND were imposed on cases of providing and sharing false, distorting, and insulting information online. These figures show that the law is not just “lip service,” but has been implemented through specific measures, focusing on user protection.

Vietnam: From participant to leading role at the “Hanoi Convention”

Beyond perfecting domestic law, 2025 also records Vietnam’s pioneering role on the international stage through the United Nations Convention Against Cybercrime (also referred to by the international and domestic press as the “Hanoi Convention” following the historic Signing Ceremony held here).

After the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention, Vietnam was selected as the host country for the Signing Ceremony on October 25-26, 2025. The event attracted over 110 participating nations, and Vietnam had the honor of being the first country to sign this instrument, demonstrating the high responsibility of an active member of the international community. The fact that the Convention bears a name associated with the capital Hanoi (“Hanoi Convention”) is not only a diplomatic pride but also a recognition of Vietnam’s substantive contributions during the negotiation process. Previously, Vietnam served as Vice Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee, directly coordinating and developing key content to balance interests among nations. This is a new global declaration on cooperation against cybercrime, creating a legal basis for countries to assist each other in the investigation and prosecution of high-tech crimes perpetrators who are naturally not limited by national borders.

A familiar allegation from hostile forces is that all regulations managing social media and handling fake news are labeled as “stifling freedom of speech”. This line of reasoning deliberately conflates freedom of speech with the freedom to slander, defraud, and incite hatred. Even in the EU or Singapore, laws like the DSA or POFMA do not permit the dissemination of content inciting violence, ethnic hatred, terrorism, fake news causing panic regarding epidemics, or financial fraud without sanctions. Vietnam’s handling of similar behaviors according to the law is not “unusual,” but is following the correct global trend.

In reality, Vietnamese citizens continue to use social media at a very high density, with diverse content ranging from business and entertainment to social debate. Tens of millions of Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube accounts remain active every day. If it is said that there is “no Internet freedom,” those figures themselves refute it.

Strong legal movements in 2025, both domestic and international, have completely refuted the distorting allegation that Vietnam “stifles freedom of speech”. Reality proves that Vietnam’s handling of fake news, fraud, and incitement of hatred is in line with the general trend of humanity, compatible with UN standards and the laws of developed countries.

The issue is not whether there is freedom, but to what extent and within what framework. Freedom of speech always comes with the responsibility not to infringe upon the honor and dignity of others ; not to violate privacy; not to incite violence or hatred; not to defraud or appropriate property; and not to threaten national security. Handling such behaviors protects the very foundation of human rights for the majority, rather than “violating human rights”.

The struggle for a “clean cyberspace” is a struggle that is technological, legal, and cultural in nature. Vietnam chooses to fully participate in global digital governance trends while building a separate legal corridor suitable to the country’s conditions to protect digital sovereignty and shield citizens from fake news, fraud, and data breaches.

In that context, each Internet user must not only be a protected “object” but also become a responsible “subject”: abiding by the law, verifying information before sharing, not abetting fake news, and not participating in fraud rings. Only when freedom is attached to discipline and responsibility can we build a truly safe and healthy cyberspace, where the right to access clean information and the right to be protected from cyber risks of every citizen are respected and guaranteed increasingly better./.