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Freedom on the Net 2025

Vietnam

Not Free
22
100
A Obstacles to Access 12 25
B Limits on Content 6 35
C Violations of User Rights 4 40
Last Year's Score & Status
22 100 Not Free
Scores are based on a scale of 0 (least free) to 100 (most free). See the methodology and report acknowledgements.
Vietnam_hero_map

header1 Key Developments, June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025

Internet freedom remained restricted in Vietnam, as the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) enforced stringent controls on the country’s online environment and punished people for expressing their views online.

  • Three of the five active submarine cables that connected Vietnam to the global internet suffered from technical problems for much of the coverage period, meaning connections to foreign servers remained slower or poorer in quality as repairs continued (A1).1
  • In February 2025, the Ministry of Public Security assumed control over MobiFone, the country’s third-largest mobile service provider, which had been overseen by the State Capital Management Committee.2 The shift further consolidated the dominance of the security services in the telecommunications sector; the two largest service providers, Viettel and the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), were controlled by the military and the Ministry of Finance, respectively (A4).3
  • In May 2025, the Ministry of Information and Communications ordered internet service providers to block Telegram, as authorities alleged that the messaging platform had enabled criminal activity as well as the dissemination of antigovernment content by opposition groups (B1).4
  • The government issued an expansive new internet regulation, Decree 147, in November 2024. It imposed strict requirements that obliged service providers to actively search for and remove illegal content on their platforms, confirm user identities with official documents or local mobile numbers, and retain and hand over user data to the authorities with few safeguards against abuse (B3, C4, and C6).5
  • Authorities imposed draconian prison sentences on activists and bloggers for their online expression. For example, video blogger Thái Văn Đường was sentenced to 12 years in prison in October 2024 over his criticism of the CPV on social media; he had allegedly been abducted in Thailand and brought back to Vietnam to face charges in April 2023 (C3).6

header2 Political Overview

Vietnam is a one-party state, dominated for decades by the CPV. Although some independent candidates are technically allowed to run in legislative elections, most opposition is banned in practice. Freedom of expression, religious freedom, and civil society activism are tightly restricted. Even by Vietnam’s authoritarian standards, in recent years, and particularly in 2024, the authorities have engaged in one of the widest-ranging crackdowns on dissent in decades.

This report has been abridged for Freedom on the Net 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.

A Obstacles to Access

A1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do infrastructural limitations restrict access to the internet or the speed and quality of internet connections? 4.004 6.006
A2 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Is access to the internet prohibitively expensive or beyond the reach of certain segments of the population for geographical, social, or other reasons? 2.002 3.003
A3 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does the government exercise technical or legal control over internet infrastructure for the purposes of restricting connectivity? 4.004 6.006
A4 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are there legal, regulatory, or economic obstacles that restrict the diversity of service providers? 2.002 6.006
A5 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do national regulatory bodies that oversee service providers and digital technology fail to operate in a free, fair, and independent manner? 0.000 4.004

B Limits on Content

B1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does the state block or filter, or compel service providers to block or filter, internet content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? 2.002 6.006
B2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do state or nonstate actors employ legal, administrative, or other means to force publishers, content hosts, or digital platforms to delete content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? 0.000 4.004
B3 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do restrictions on the internet and digital content lack transparency, proportionality to the stated aims, or an independent appeals process? 0.000 4.004
B4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do online journalists, commentators, and ordinary users practice self-censorship? 1.001 4.004
B5 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Are online sources of information controlled or manipulated by the government or other powerful actors to advance a particular political interest? 0.000 4.004
B6 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are there economic or regulatory constraints that negatively affect users’ ability to publish content online? 0.000 3.003
B7 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the online information landscape lack diversity and reliability? 1.001 4.004
B8 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do conditions impede users’ ability to mobilize, form communities, and campaign, particularly on political and social issues? 2.002 6.006

C Violations of User Rights

C1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do the constitution or other laws fail to protect rights such as freedom of expression, access to information, and press freedom, including on the internet, and are they enforced by a judiciary that lacks independence? 0.000 6.006
C2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Are there laws that assign criminal penalties or civil liability for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? 0.000 4.004
C3 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are individuals penalized for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? 0.000 6.006
C4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the government place restrictions on anonymous communication or encryption? 1.001 4.004
C5 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does state surveillance of internet activities infringe on users’ right to privacy? 1.001 6.006
C6 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does monitoring and collection of user data by service providers and other technology companies infringe on users’ right to privacy? 0.000 6.006
C7 1.00-5.00 pts0-5 pts
Are individuals subject to extralegal intimidation or physical violence by state authorities or any other actor in relation to their online activities? 1.001 5.005
C8 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are websites, governmental and private entities, service providers, or individual users subject to widespread hacking and other forms of cyberattack? 1.001 3.003

On Vietnam

See all data, scores & information on this country or territory.

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Country Facts

  • Population

    98,190,000

  • Global Freedom Score

    20 100 not free

  • Internet Freedom Score

    22 100 not free

  • Freedom in the World Status

    Not Free

  • Networks Restricted

    No

  • Websites Blocked

    Yes

  • Pro-government Commentators

    Yes

  • Users Arrested

    Yes