Hanoi (VNA) - As Vietnam is racing toward a digital future, cybersecurity is becoming a must to achieve sustainable development, safeguard national sovereignty, organisational and individual rights. No longer a discretionary measure, robust cybersecurity is now a prerequisite for national digitalisation.
Rising tide of cybercrime and disinformation
Vietnam’s cybersecurity landscape is under siege from a surge in malicious content and sophisticated online scams. The proliferation of fake news, distorted information, and fraud, often enabled by the anonymity and cross-border nature of cybercrime, poses considerable challenges. Compounding the issue are a shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals, widespread use of unregistered SIM cards and fake bank accounts, fragmented data-sharing systems, and low public awareness of digital safety protocols.
Cybercrime’s economic toll is stark. A 2024 report from the former Ministry of Information and Communications revealed that one in every 220 smartphone users fell victim to scams, costing an estimated 18.9 trillion VND (726 million USD). This 0.45% victimisation rate underscores the pervasive threat. Scammers are pulling every trick, from impersonating officials or relatives to extort money, to luring victims into financial schemes, and leveraging deepfake and AI technologies to fabricate voices and images.
These crooks fabricate or edit videos, falsify officials’ statements, or exploit sensitive topics such as COVID-19, natural disasters, or elections to spread lies. With AI support, spotting the fakes is like finding a needle in a digital haystack.
Shady groups are also flooding Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube with divisive propaganda to stir chaos and crush public confidence. In 2024, Vietnamese authorities cracked down on nearly 16,000 false articles and videos while busting thousands of scams tied to fake banks and government agencies. As of December 2024, the Vietnam Anti-Fake News Processing Centre, run by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, handled 1,378 reports via its tingia.gov.vn portal, including nearly 600 cases of malicious content and over 430 financial scams. It blocked or fixed countless lies and issued 50 public warnings to wake residents up.
Le Quang Tu Do, Director General of the Authority of Broadcasting, Television and Electronic Information (ABEI), said a specialised task force, operational since 2017, has monitored and blocked illegal and false online content. The ABEI employs a dual approach: combining expert personnel with technological tools to monitor and detect violations, while simultaneously sending takedown requests to cross-border platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube, requiring the removal or blocking of infringing content within 24 hours as mandated. In both 2024 and 2025, the compliance rate for content removal on these platforms exceeded 90%.
For online media issues, the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information, Education and Mass Mobilisation and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism advocated for building a safe, healthy and beneficial cyberspace. Any content affecting public morality, especially youth, will be swiftly addressed. In this third quarter alone, Facebook removed 10,713 posts violating Vietnamese law (96%), YouTube took down 705 videos (92%), and TikTok deleted 798 items (97%), he added.
Legal, technological and societal responses
Phan Van Hung, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan (People) newspaper, said data and cybersecurity are crucial drivers of innovation, digital economy, society and government. Yet, risks of data breaches, cyberattacks, and threats to national digital sovereignty are escalating. Vietnam is poised to host the signing of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime (Hanoi Convention), the UN's first legal document of its kind, signaling stronger multilateral cooperation toward a transparent, safe and humanistic cyberspace.
To curb fake news and harmful content, the ABEI will continue working closely with relevant units to refine legal frameworks, strengthen task forces and develop a comprehensive “cyberspace defence network”. Plans include expanding public reporting channels, rolling out hotlines and anti-fake news websites, and coordinating media, civil society and government agencies for better monitoring. Authorities will invest in advanced technologies to enhance cyber surveillance and raise digital literacy and responsibility through awareness campaigns.
The Government is drafting a new Cybersecurity Law to unify existing regulations, while expanding the use of the VNeID electronic identification system to combat fake and anonymous accounts.
Specialised units are being equipped with cutting-edge tools, including Security Operations Centres (SOC), intrusion detection software and two-factor authentication. Training courses in cybersecurity, AI and big data, supported by international partnerships, are top priorities. Major state media outlets continue to play a central role in educating the public about scams and misinformation.
Vietnam is also deepening cooperation with foreign governments and international organisations to enhance information sharing, technical capabilities, and cross-border investigations. It is making sure giants like Facebook, TikTok and Google comply with Vietnam’s rules and pull down bad content fast upon request, Do affirmed./.
