Nam Em has held many livestreams on her social account with millions of followers, speaking ill of many celebrities in Vietnamese showbiz and making unexpected actions. In one livestream, Nam Em suddenly went out to a balcony and did not come back, causing viewers to be worried. She once mentioned President Ho Chi Minh in another livestream.

On March 1, Em was summoned by the HCM City Information and Communications Department and was fined VND37.5 million for holding a livestream that provided wrong information which could cause anxiety among the public, and provided information insulting famous people and national heroes.

In addition to the fine, the agency asked Em to observe regulations stipulated in Decision No 874 dated June 17, 2021 by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) in the code of conduct on social networks, and Decision No3196 dated December 13, 2021 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) in the code of conduct applied to those working in the field of arts and performance.

Angela Phuong Trinh, an actress, stirred chaos on social networks by calling views contrary to hers as "dirty media" and saying those who don’t have the same views are "enemies". She also said that people are trying to "destroy and overthrow" Buddhism.

Every post on her social network account has attracted thousands of interactions.

Angela Phuong Trinh was thought to have left Vietnamese showbiz as she has not launched any artistic work in recent years. However, she has become famous for speeches violating the laws on her social network with a blue check by her name.

However, she has received no punishment and continues livestreaming on Facebook.

There are many celebrities with high numbers of followers who make unfounded statements, publicly insult others, and even spread unconfirmed information, thus causing social chaos.

Sanctions, not just guidance

As said above, both MIC and MCST have codes of conduct to guide how celebrities need to behave. However, the codes of conduct are just for reference, and are not legal regulations, and therefore, cannot deter violators. 

Many people have called on agencies to set up regulations to punish the celebrities who conduct deviant behavior, affecting others and the whole community.

Currently, the heaviest punishment imposed on artists who speak this way on social networks is stipulated in Article 101 of Decree 14/2022, which includes administrative fines on violations in the fields of post and telecommunications, radio frequency, information technology and electronic transactions.

The decree sets a fine of VND10-30 million on the behavior of exploiting social networks to conduct misbehaviors shown in the decree. The legal document says that wrong information, violating information, and misinformation must be removed.

Meanwhile, the public believes that the sanctions must be heavier to deter violators, because the consequences of their behavior may be very serious, given that a social network account of a celebrity has up to millions of followers.

Nguyen Dinh Thanh, a communication and culture expert, suggested raising administrative fines to VND50-100 million, or even higher. The sanction can also be designed based on the percentage of commissions the celebrities can expect from advertising contracts.

Thanh said that celebrities live on their popularity with the public, so if they violate the laws, the heaviest punishment will be imposed by the public. People may refuse to watch their artistic products or buy their services.

“I think state agencies should consider restricting or prohibiting the appearance and performance of these celebrities who violate regulations on the internet and in real life,” Thanh said.

MIC has said it is going to issue a decree on the management, provision, and use of the Internet and online information in July.

My Anh