Authorities in Vietnam will begin imposing fines of up to US$1,900 for social media posts deemed “fake news” under a sweeping new regulation that expands state control over online expression and dissent.
Decree No. 174/2026, which takes effect July 1, introduces new administrative sanctions covering telecommunications, electronic transactions, information technology, and online communications, according to a report by AsiaNews.
The measure applies not only to media organizations but also to businesses, family enterprises, and private individuals.
Under the regulation, penalties may be imposed for online content that authorities say “causes panic among the public, harms socioeconomic activity, impedes the functioning of state agencies or the activities of public officials, or violates the legitimate rights and interests of organizations or individuals.”
The decree also targets content accused of disclosing “state secrets or other protected information,” as well as material that “distorts history, denies revolutionary achievements, undermines national unity, insults religion, or promotes gender or racial discrimination.”
Authorities will also have the power to order the removal of content classified as “false, misleading, or illegal,” and suspend accounts, pages, groups, or channels found to be in violation of the law.
The regulation further penalizes the distribution of maps said to “omit or distort national sovereignty,” while tightening restrictions related to intellectual property and unauthorized materials.
The move comes amid broader restrictions on press freedom and public expression under To Lam, who has consolidated political influence since becoming Communist Party general secretary in 2024 and assuming the presidency in April.
The regulation follows measures introduced in late 2025 requiring journalists to disclose their sources to authorities while broadening the definition of state secrets.
Earlier this year, Reporters Without Borders warned of growing state control over the media in Vietnam and described the country’s legal framework as among “the most repressive in the world.”
The group cited Articles 117 and 331 of Vietnam’s Criminal Code, which impose heavy prison sentences for spreading what authorities classify as “anti-state propaganda.”
The tightening restrictions intensified ahead of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam in January 2026.
Among those prosecuted under Article 117 was Vietnamese-German journalist Trug Khoa Le, editor-in-chief of the news website Thoibao, who was sentenced in absentia on Dec. 31 to 17 years in prison for publishing information and materials “in order to oppose the state.”
