Community role in mangrove forest management

Vietnam is one of the five countries hardest hit by climate change, with its coastal region being the most vulnerable area. Community-based management and development of mangrove forests is an effective way to strengthen coastal resilience against climate change.

Vietnam has favourable conditions for mangrove forests to grow and develop. 

Twenty nine cities and provinces nationwide have coastal mangrove forests and wetland. They include five coastal localities in the Red River Delta, namely Hai Phong city and the provinces of Quang Ninh, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh, 14 central provinces from Thanh Hoa to Binh Thuan, and 10 others in the southern region, namely Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Dong Nai, Ho Chi Minh City, Ben Tre, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau and Kien Giang. 

However, the area and quality of this kind of forest are declining. The total area of mangrove forests in Vietnam is about 200,000 hectares, down 60 percent compared to 70 years ago.

According to Nguyen Quoc Dung, an official from the Forestry Inventory and Planning Institute, there are several reasons behind the decline of mangrove forests. They include the changing use of forest land for aquaculture, the overexploitation of wood and natural resources as well as environmental pollution and climate change.

Dung also mentioned the lack of mangrove forest management and cooperation, limited mangrove-related regulations and coastal erosion. 

Other reasons include unsustainable livelihood of local people, the shortage of appropriate silvicultural solutions or suitable plant species to be grown. Meanwhile, science research also lacks enough attention.

At present, forest protection is facing difficulties due to the lack of synchronous technical solutions, inter-ministerial collaboration and sustainable financial mechanisms for the management and restoration of mangrove forests. More importantly, the activity has not yet mobilised community involvement.

In the central province of Thanh Hoa, thanks to the strengthened role of the community in forest growing and protection, the area of submerged forests has increased remarkably. Since 2007, with the support of CARE Vietnam, the model of community-based multipurpose mangrove forest planting has been developed in Nga Thuy commune of Nga Son district and Da Loc commune in Hau Loc district.

Nguyen Van Dinh, Vice Chairman of the Da Loc communal People’s Committee said the commune had 200 hectares of submerged forests prior to 2007. 

Thanks to the support of domestic and international organisations, it has planted an additional 300 hectares, raising the total area of mangrove forests here to 500 hectares, Dinh said, adding that the locality plans to grow 200 hectares more from now to 2020.

Living in the coastal region, Vu Duc Thuan in Thanh Hoa province’s Hau Loc district understands the value of submerged forests to his livelihood. He has raised a total of 500 ducks with feed sourced from the forests, which has helped double his income. 

“Thanks to the mangrove forest, I can save the money I would spend on food for the ducks,” Thuan said, adding that the ducks can eat snails found in the forest and produce good quality eggs. 

The mangrove forest in the locality also helps protect the coastal ecosystem and benefits local people. When harvest is over, the locals can earn 50-100,000 VND a day from catching crabs or fish in the mangrove forest.

Nguyen Quoc Dung said to support the local people, the State has issued policies to encourage the community to join hands to protect mangrove forests by giving them the rights to manage, protect and benefit from the forests. “This is an effective way to restore and develop mangrove forests in our country in a sustainable manner,” he added.

However, the policies are still part of the general forestry guidelines. There should be separate policies and mechanisms for mangrove forests. Added to this, local people and authorities should be educated to raise the awareness of protecting and developing mangrove forests.

Programme supports over 3,600 children in Dong Thap

The Provincial Child Friendly Programme (PCFP) funded by UNICEF has helped more than 3,600 vulnerable children in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap.

According to the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Dong Thap province has a population of nearly 1.7 million people, with 374,000 children, accounting for 23.57 percent of the population. The province is one of the localities with the most juvenile offenders in Vietnam.

The PCFP was launched in Dong Thap province in 2012, aiming to protect and provide public services for vulnerable children, along with the provincial Children Protection plan in 2011-2016.

After four years, the programme has run several activities such as providing financial support, vocational training and health care for children and ensuring their basic rights. It also improved self-defence skills for about 2,800 children, lowering child abuse cases by 50 percent.

Bui Thanh Nhon, Director of provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs said local authorities have focused on support and protection for children. To date, 82 out of 144 communes and wards have built a child protection system, aiming to create a safe environment and enhance children’s rights. However, child protection activities in the province still faces challenges, Nhon added.

The provincial People’s Committee has called for the expansion of the programme in 2017-2020, with functional agencies set to promote protection and education activities for children, raise capacity for public workers and enhance the child protection system in the province.

In 2017, Dong Thap aims to provide support for 92 percent of children with special circumstances.

President calls on former Party leader

President Tran Dai Quang visited former Party chief Do Muoi at his home on February 1 on the occasion of the Lunar New Year (Tet) and the 87th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3). 

Meeting with former Party General Secretary Do Muoi, who turns 100 on February 2, President Tran Dai Quang wished him good health and long-lived, expecting that he would give more valuable suggestions to build a stronger and more transparent Party and foster the nation’s rapid and sustainable development.

The President also informed the former Party chief about the achievements of the Party, armed forces and people in 2016. 

He lauded the contributions the former Party leader made to the revolution of the Party and the nation, particularly in the reform stage.

President Quang affirmed that he will build on tradition to realise socio-economic targets set for 2017 and beyond.

PM wishes Thua Thien-Hue new successful year

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on January 31 paid a Tet (Lunar New Year) visit to the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, where he extended New Year wishes to the local Party Organisation, administration and people.

The PM expressed hope that in the Year of the Rooster, Thua Thien-Hue will reaped new successes in all fields.

While congratulating Thua Thien-Hue on socio-economic and security-defence achievements in 2016, the PM lauded the locality’s efforts in overcoming the consequence of the maritime environment incident to recover its sea-based economy.

The PM highlighted Thua Thien-Hue’s abundant tourism potential and asked the province to make stronger economic reform, while mobilising resources for tourism growth and fostering ties with central localities such as Da Nang and Quang Nam to boost tourism.

Thua Thien-Hue should also work harder to turn its traditional agriculture into a smart agriculture with high quality to improve income for locals in rural areas.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc also requested the locality to speed up the improvement of its investment environment, thus making full use of the fourth industrial revolution, and build a strong and stable political system to better serve local people.

Leaders of the province reported that nearly 170,000 Tet gifts have been presented to social welfare beneficiaries.

During the 7-day holidays, Thua Thien-Hue has welcomed nearly 100,000 visitors.

Quang Ngai hoped to see new breakthroughs in 2017

The central province of Quang Ngai is expected to witness remarkable strides in 2017 and the following years to pace up with the neighbouring localities.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed his wish while visiting local authorities and people on January 30 on the occasion of the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet).

He said Quang Ngai, which is home to the country’s only oil refinery - Dung Quat and numerous historical relic sites, has a lot of advantages to grow stronger. 

The island district of Ly Son, in particular, is receiving a strong wave of investment to become a spotlight in the central region, he added.

He suggested increasing connectivity with proximities such as Quang Nam, Da Nang, and Binh Dinh to spur the regional economic growth, while focusing on the development of tourism services.

The PM also directed Quang Ngai to put forth more incentives to attract investment in large-scale projects, especially in industrial parks and economic zones, but still ensuring environmental protection.

Deputy PM meets former revolutionary prisoners

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh on January 31 attended a get-together with nearly 150 former revolutionists who were once imprisoned by enemies.

The function at the Museum of War Remnants in Ho Chi Minh City also saw the attendance of former State President Truong Tan Sang.

On behalf of Party, State and Government leaders, Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh wished the former revolutionists a New Year full of health and happiness.

Recalling the country’s revolutionary history, Binh stressed that the Party, State and people always treasure the sacrifice and great contributions by former revolutionary prisoners to the national liberation struggle in the past as well as in the country’s construction and defence cause at present.

The Deputy PM said that the Government and administrations at all levels would continue providing care for former political prisoners as well as restore historic sites, including prisons, to educate younger generations on the nation’s revolutionary cause. 

Sai Gon-Cho Lon-Gia Dinh revolutionists gather at traditional function

Former revolutionists who had once operated in the Sai Gon-Cho Lon-Gia Dinh region gathered at a function in Ho Chi Minh City’s Cu Chi district on February 1.

The get-together also saw the presence of politburo members: Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh, Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Popularisation and Education Vo Van Thuong and Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Dinh La Thang.

It was also attended by former President Nguyen Minh Triet, former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, former Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Le Thanh Hai, senior revolutionaries, Vietnamese heroic mothers and representatives from agencies, departments and organisations of the city.

Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Dinh La Thang highlighted the event’s significance, which reviewed the revolutionary tradition of soldiers and people in the region.

Under the leadership of the Party, the army and people defeated their enemies, contributing to the 1975 Spring Victory, liberating the south and unifying the country, he noted.

Thang expressed his gratitude to veterans, who are making great contributions to the city’s development. 

He affirmed Ho Chi Minh City would continue promoting national unity and improve living conditions for the people. 

Ho Chi Minh City is determined to tap all strengths and create breakthroughs to boost development in the city, the southern region and the nation, Thang added.

The Sai Gon - Cho Lon - Gia Dinh Revolution Memorial Complex was inaugurated in December 2015.  It was built to remember the contributions citizens and soldiers in the Sai Gon – Cho Lon – Gia Dinh region made to the nation’s revolution.

Youths join hands to develop Cham Island

Cu Lao Cham (Cham Islands) in the central province of Quang Nam has showed strong development in recent times thanks to great contributions of young people, who are working to promote local economic development and ensure security and defence in the island.

Covering a total area of 15 square kilometres in Tan Hiep island commune in Hoi An city, Cu Lao Cham is a cluster of eight islets, namely Hon Lao, Hon Dai, Hon Mo, Hon Kho Me, Hon Kho Con, Hon La, Hon Tai and Hon Ong. 

It is home to 3,000 inhabitants living in all the islets, which have vast ecological diversity.

The island boasts 1,500ha of tropical forests and 6,700ha of sea featuring a wide range of marine fauna and flora, including many endangered species such as salangane (swallows), the long-tailed monkey and the crab-eating macaque.

With its diverse eco-system and multi-hundred-year-old historical sites, Cu Lao Cham was officially recognised as a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in May 2009.

The island, 20km off the coast of Hoi An city, is a favourite eco-tour site for tourists, and was the first locality in Vietnam to ban plastic bags and promote the 3-R (reduce, reuse and recycle) programme in 2011.

Tourism development in the island in recent years has contributes to changing labour structure and improving living standard for islanders. 

It hosts about 100,000 tourists annually, of which 10 percent are foreigners. The island welcomes nearly 3,000 tourists a day during the peak season. 

Visitors can participate in a number of tours in Cu Lao Cham such as discovering the systems of caves, springs and rocks; snorkeling and watching coral and colorful fish in Bai Bac and Hon Dai; boat rowing; and visiting Huong fishing village or swimming.  

Secretary of the Communist Youth Union’s chapter in Tan Hiep commune Nguyen Minh Duc said about 70 percent of the locality’s population is joining in providing tourism services.

Local youths have been also actively get involved in tourism development as they works as tour guides and homestay and motorbike service providers for visitors. 

With an increasing number of overnight-staying tourists, the local authorities allowed the local Youth Union’s chapter to organise campfire events at nights for tourists. This work both ensure safety for forest fire prevention and control in the island, and helps raise fund for disadvantaged pupils and student to pursue their study. 

The chapter also called on the Hoi An city’s social policy bank to provide low-interest loans for poor students in the commune. 

Additionally, young people in the island also uphold their pioneer role in protecting the environment.

Campaigns to clean the environment have been arranged every week along roads and beaches, while drawing contests have been launched for children, contributing to raising public awareness of protecting the environment. 

As a key force in managing and performing patrols in the island and surrounding coastal areas, youths from the Cu Lao Cham border station is always in the vanguard of implementing duties of the unit, and actively works closely with the local youth force to carry out youth movements. 

Senior lieutenant Phan Duy Tu, Secretary of the youth union of the Cu Lao Cham border station, said youths’ activities of the union are linked with the station’s duties, including joining patrols and inspecting fishing ships and cruise vessels in the locality. 

In rainy seasons, they actively coordinate with other forces to help residents, and evacuate locals to safe areas. 

From the beginning of the year to now, through patrols, the island’s border guard force timely support the search of rescue for three fishing ships, which was in distress in the sea. 

The youth union of the border station built a library with 600 book titles to serve the reading demand of soldiers and islanders. 

In any positions, local youths always stay ready to devote themselves to the island’s development.

PM attends Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da victory celebrations

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended Dong Da festival in Hanoi on February 1(the fifth day of the Lunar New Year), which marked the 228th anniversary of Ngoc Hoi – Dong Da victory over the Chinese Qing invaders. 

Before the opening ceremony, the delegates and people offered incenses and laid wreath in tribute to Emperor Quang Trung (also known as national hero Nguyen Hue), who led the victorious battle.

Nguyen Song Hao, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Dong Da district, recalled that on this day 228 years ago, Tay Son troops led by Nguyen Hue launched a surprise attack and defeated 290,000 Qing soldiers right at the park, liberating the Thang Long imperial city. 

Since then, the fifth day of the lunar first month has become the traditional day marking the historic victory, he said. 

The Ngoc Hoi – Dong Da victory has also gone down in Vietnamese history as an immortal and epic struggle for national construction and defence, Hao added.

Dong Da Mound reportedly witnessed fierce battles between Emperor Quang Trung’s soldiers and the Chinese invaders 228 years ago.

The festival is designed to uphold the country’s cultural values, while educating young generations about the tradition of patriotism and national pride.

The festival also included a procession, and dragon dancing, art performances, and traditional games.     

Sea dyke erosion worsens in Kien Giang

Close to 40km of a 200 km sea dyke stretching from Mui Nai in Ha Tien Commune to Tieu Dua in An Minh District of the southern coastal province of Kien Giang is facing serious erosion.  

Of which over 34 km has been severely eroded, directly affecting the lives of 250 households in four districts of Kien Luong, Hon Dat, An Bien and An Minh. 

A total of 1,000 ha of coastal alluvial land were washed away in the past 10 years. 

The provincial People’s Committee has directed authorised agencies to take counter measures, including applying Biotype technology to decrease wave strength and setting a double layer cajuput barrier.

The locality has also focused on protecting existing mangrove forests and planting more trees to increase protection capacity of coastal forests.

According to Director of the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Van Tam, the implementation of a number of projects has been stepped up to prevent erosion, including the construction of the An Bien – An Minh sea dyke, the restoration of protective forests and the planting of mangrove forests to protect sea dyke in An Bien and Hon Dat districts.

Thua Thien-Hue welcomes 100,000 tourists during Tet

More than 70,000 tourists, including 31,500 foreigners, visited relic sites in the Hue Imperial City during the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival, which lasted from January 26 to February 1.

Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, the figure brought the total number of visitors to central Thua Thien-Hue province during the holidays to nearly 100,000, including 56,902 international tourists.

The provincial tourism sector earned over 80.8 billion VND (3.7 million USD) in revenue.

The occupancy rate of four and five-star hotels reached 70 percent, up 5 percent over the same period last year.

Travel firms in Thua Thien Hue diversified their tours while the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre made the Hue Imperial Citadel more appealing to tourists by opening the Inner City at night.

The provincial Department of Tourism coordinated with relevant sectors to ensure the quality of tourism and transport services, helping tourists have a good time during their stays in the province.

In 2017, Thua Thien-Hue province set goals of attracting between 3.3-3.5 million tourists, of them international visitors make up from 40-45 percent, and raking in revenue of 3.2-3.3 trillion VND (148 million USD).

Vice President attends Trung sisters’ uprising celebration

Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh attended a ceremony to mark the 1977th anniversary of the Trung sisters’ uprising at Hai Ba Trung Temple, a special national relic site in Hanoi’s Me Linh district on January 2 (the sixth day of the second lunar month).  

In her speech, Thinh highlighted the significance of the uprising, affirming that the undaunted spirit of the Trung sisters brought independence and self-control to the nation. 

“The Trung sisters and their uprising left us an invaluable spiritual legacy which upheld the strength of national unity, including the strength, wisdom and undaunted spirit of Vietnamese women,” she said. 

She also underlined the patriotic tradition and contributions of Vietnamese women to the struggles for national liberation as well as the national construction and defence. 

After the celebration, the Vice President and other delegates offered incense to commemorate the Trung sisters at their temple.  

According to the Vietnamese historical account, Trung Trac and her younger sister Trung Nhi, who were born in Giao Chi province in what is now northern Vietnam, led their troops on elephant back to repel Chinese invaders for three years. 

The victory gained independence for Dai Viet (an old name of Vietnam) after over two centuries dominated by Chinese invaders. 

Every year, the heroines’ victory is celebrated at the Hai Ba Trung Temple.

Mekong youths launch lotus flower-inspired startup

Two youths from the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap have each returned to their hometown to develop their startup ideas inspired by the province’s symbolic flower, the lotus.

Doan Ngoc Minh Thuy, each with their own journey, came up with different concepts to run businesses centered around the symbolic species of flower.

The two youngsters chose to leave the city lifestyle for their homes in the rustic Dong Thap Province in order to build their dreams.

Embalmer of lotus blooms

Born in Cao Lanh, the capital city of Dong Thap, Cong previously had the opportunity to study in a bio-chemistry master's program in France.

“I also had plans to build a life in the up and coming Ho Chi Minh City like other young people. However, my first unsuccessful business attempt led me back to my hometown,” Cong recalled.

“My journey back to Dong Thap was on the occasion of the Lunar New Year, when local authorities were calling on young people to leverage the province’s potential to contribute to local development,” he continued.

The lotus flower was not the first target of the young man when he began his business in the Mekong Delta province, rather pottery products, but this eventually ended in failure.

With a life-long love for the specific type of blooms, Cong came up with the concept of embalming the flower in order to keep it fresh and colorful for as long as possible.

He sought out the technology for drying the roses of farmers in Da Lat City, a popular tourist destination in the Central Highlands, and attempted to apply it to the lotus.

The first phase of Cong’s business operation was very challenging as the lotus blossoms had to be transported all the way from Dong Thap to Da Lat, about 430km apart.

The nine-hour journey often caused damage to the petals and they frequently wilted before they could be embalmed.

Cong decided to teach himself the technology and managed to acquire the necessary skill after six months, meaning he was able to add different shades to the lotus petals while preserving the natural scent of the blooms.

A dried lotus flower can keep its freshness and liveliness for between nine and 12 months.

The fresh blossoms are mainly collected from gardens in Cao Lanh City and Thap Muoi District before being transported to a nearby facility, where Cong has created an electric drying machine with different recipes for the lotus petals, leaves, and sepals.

The young entrepreneur is now seeking ways to improve his invention in order to boost the quality and quantity of his production.

Currently the owner of a successful business named Khoi Minh, Cong has established partnerships with several stores in Dong Thap Province, Ho Chi Minh City, and also in Paris, France.

Lotus flower essence

Thuy, also specialized in bio-chemistry, started her business after seeing the great potential in the agricultural byproducts like kumquat and grapefruit peels, lemongrass leaves, and used lotus flowers, which are considered throwaways by most people.

These ‘unwanted’ materials became the main ingredient for Thuy’s production of essences, used to enhance the quality of a variety of herbal remedies.

With the extract of lotus flowers, kumquats, grapefruits, and melaleuca, all of which are widely grown in Dong Thap, Thuy has been able to add unique fragrances to natural soaps, mosquito repellent wrist bands, nasal inhalers, and wooden souvenirs.

Thuy’s signature products are soap bars manufactured from lotus flower essence, melaleuca, and activated carbon, which are gentle to the face and body and are enhanced by a relaxing aroma from the lotus bloom.

“I’m looking for a new method to improve the lotus distillation process,” the young entrepreneur explained.

Thuy graduated from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Science and previously worked for a cosmetics company for four years, before developing her own brand ‘Huong Dong Thap,’ (Dong Thap Scent).

“The primary driver of my business is my love for the lotus blossom. It’s the iconic symbol representing the soul and spirit of the people of Dong Thap,” Thuy said.

The young entrepreneur shared her intention to develop a lotus garden in Sa Dec City, which will become her source of material and allow local farmers to work on and acquire the technology.

With the existing advantage being a tourism destination, Sa Dec can now offer a new experience to visitors; the chance to nurture lotus flowers and extract their essence directly at the garden, Thuy explained.

Talking about their decision to launch their startups in Dong Thap instead of a prominent city such as Ho Chi Minh City, Cong and Thuy both said that they had received helpful support and favorable conditions from local authorities.

Despite the lack of support services, namely advertising, website design, packaging and others, it remains an interesting, if not challenging path for the two startup founders.

“I developed my startup business to be able to do the things I love while satisfying my passion and creativity,” Cong said.

The two met each other at a startup contest in Cao Lanh City, the provincial capital, and have been assisting one another to improve their businesses, thus contributing to the development of their hometown.

In Facebook, young Vietnamese see an ally

As young netizens use the social network as a podium to tell the authorities what they want, Vietnamese leaders start taking notes.

In mid-January, soon after news of the Quang Binh provincial government reviving plans to build a cable car into Son Doong Cave started circulating on the internet, droves of Vietnamese netizens launched an online petition to protest the project.

The petition was widely shared on social media, chiefly Facebook, compelling local leaders to quickly assure that they had no plans to build the gondola lift into Son Doong. The cave, which contains at least 150 individual grottos, a dense subterranean jungle and several underground rivers, has become known as the world's largest cave.

It was not the first time that such plans left Vietnam’s Facebook community in a frenzy. In 2014, after vehement public protests, including the “Save Son Doong” Facebook page and an online petition that quickly drew thousands of signatures, the Quang Binh authorities had to shelve plans to build a cable car system into the cave, near the Laos-Vietnam border.

In Vietnam, organized opposition to dizzying development at the expense of natural attractions or colonial heritages has found an unlikely ally: Facebook.

In 2014, a Facebook petition which garnered nearly 3,500 signatures from architects, researchers and students also helped to save certain historical elements of the Saigon Tax Trade Center, a colonial structure opened in 1924, before the developer razed it to make way for a 40-story skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City.

A year later, Vietnamese netizens formed an online mob on Facebook and essentially thwarted a plan to chop down 6,700 trees in Hanoi. The backlash forced the government to not only cancel the plan but also punish the responsible officials.

“In the last couple of years, Facebook has been nothing short of a revolution in Vietnam,” said Tim Doling, a British historian who has been involved in several Facebook pages that upload thousands of historical and current photos of heritage sites in Ho Chi Minh City.

“Many of the members of the various Facebook groups I'm involved in are overwhelmingly young Vietnamese people. There's been a complete sea change in how people communicate online,” Doling said.

Nearly 49 million people in Vietnam are internet users; 60% of the total population of nearly 92 million are under the age of 35. It is in this context that the Vietnamese government has taken steps to embrace Facebook to reach out to a young, internet-savvy population. 

The first explicit gesture from the top echelons was seen in 2015, when the then Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made international headlines by acknowledging that it was impossible to ban social media like Facebook.

"You here have all joined social networks, you've all got Facebook up on your phones to read information. We cannot ban it,” Dung told his cabinet at a meeting. “We must publish accurate information online immediately... Whatever is being said online, people will believe official information from the government."

Since then, top officials from the ruling Communist Party have repeatedly warned the press against the risk of trailing behind digital technology, urging them to capitalize on the internet and social media to spread the Party’s messages.

The government has set up its own Facebook page to keep the public in the loop on its policies or to livestream the monthly cabinet meetings where decisions on hot-buttons issues are made. The authorities also acknowledge that they have deployed a group known as "public opinion shapers" to gauge public sentiment on Facebook and to deal with “online hostile forces.”

Even the police, often the target of widespread flaks after their staff’s misconduct was exposed online, have also shown signs of embracing the platform. In Danang and Ho Chi Minh City, police officials have used Facebook as a venue for the public to report traffic-related information or crimes.

Analysts see Vietnam’s move to embrace Facebook, which boasts around 35 million local users, as a no-nonsense move in a country where the sudden explosion of space for free and open discussion has created a kind of high-pressure catharsis online. In 2013, the government did plan to develop its own social network for young people; but such attempts have never materialized ever since.

“The internet infrastructure developed far faster than the [Vietnamese] government's ability to regulate and control it,” Zachary Abuza, a Washington-based analyst who authored a 2015 paper about the media and civil society in Vietnam, told VnExpress International. “There is nothing the government can do to shut it down. And there are plenty of technical workarounds.”

Unlike China, which has simply blocked access to the social network since 2009, “Vietnam is surprisingly different,” Abuza said.

“The sheer size of China means that they can develop alternative platforms that they can control,” he said. Also, “the potential of gaining access to the Chinese market has given Beijing incredible leverage over western firms who have shared source code, restricted access to sensitive websites, and given back door access to Chinese authorities.”

The New York Times reported last November that in a bid to get back into China, Facebook has quietly developed software to suppress posts from appearing in people’s news feeds in specific geographic areas.

Last month, the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications issued a circular asking Facebook and similar sites that have a Vietnamese base with over one million users to “collaborate" with the authorities in blocking “toxic information” on these platforms. Under Vietnamese laws, such information ranges from ads for banned products to anti-state content and state secrets.

Under its new circular, the Vietnamese government will give Facebook, among others, up to 48 hours to block information falling under such purview. Failure to do so will allow local authorities to take the matter into their own hands. But when the information is considered posing a threat to Vietnam's national interests, the authorities will reserve the right to block it immediately.

All this came at a time when Facebook, which declined to comment on the circular, has raised eyebrows over its role in spreading fake news. Last September, the social media giant also came under fire for removing an image of a Vietnam War-era photo of a naked girl fleeing a napalm attack. The censorship triggered a global uproar, forcing Facebook to reinstate the iconic 1972 “Napalm Girl” photograph.

Despite these issues, and amid growing concerns about superficial “clicktivism,” many Vietnamese netizens have not budged on using the platform to spread out their messages.

Tran Huu Khoa, who initiated the online petition that called for the preservation of the now-gone Saigon Tax Trade Center, said he would continue to make the most of Facebook to rally support for changing popular attitudes about urban development. 

He has also joined volunteer groups that seek to raise awareness among students about protecting the environment and heritage.

“I’m optimistic that a strong civil movement is growing in Vietnam,” Khoa said.

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri/VET/VIR