Vietnam’s path to sustainable digital transformation requires mastery over its own technology and platforms, said Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung, underscoring the potential of Vietnamese talent to lead this shift.
On the morning of November 12, during a Q&A session at the National Assembly, Deputy Nguyen Minh Tam (Quang Binh delegation) recalled how, as Minister of Information and Communications, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung had emphasized that without a Vietnamese social media ecosystem, Vietnam would lack negotiating power with companies like Google and Facebook. Without this leverage, these platforms would continue to disregard Vietnamese laws, and Vietnam would hesitate to cut their services.
Deputy Nguyen Minh Tam - Quang Binh delegation. Photo: National Assembly
“I see this as a bold and crucial strategy for achieving independence and competing with giants like Google, Facebook, and YouTube, especially to ensure national security and cyber sovereignty. Minister, when will this strategy become a reality?” asked Deputy Tam.
Minister Hung responded by noting that strong negotiating power always rests on actual capability; without real strength, negotiations are challenging. “If we have strong social media platforms, our influence in negotiations with foreign platforms will improve,” he explained.
Minister Hung shared that Vietnam has issued licenses to nearly 1,000 social media platforms. Explaining the rationale, he noted that Vietnamese social media platforms often cater to niche markets. Among these, 20 are major platforms, and their total user base is comparable to the number of Vietnamese users on Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. When adding the 38 national digital platforms, the total number of users on Vietnamese social media platforms surpasses that of foreign platforms.
Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung
“To achieve sustainable development and successful digital transformation, we must have control over technology and digital platforms. There is no other path forward. Fortunately, Vietnamese people are skilled in information technology and fully capable of mastering both applications and technology itself,” stated Minister Hung.
At the Q&A session, Deputy Chau Quynh Dao (Kien Giang delegation) raised the issue that, despite the Cybersecurity Law’s prohibition on using digital space for superstition, online spiritual services, astrology, and fortune-telling have proliferated. With numerous online fortune tellers emerging, these services pose a social risk.
Deputy Chau Quynh Dao - Kien Giang delegation
“This is fertile ground for scams, causing people to lose both money and peace of mind. Minister, what fundamental solutions can be applied to address this issue comprehensively?” asked Deputy Dao.
Minister Hung replied, “I’ve often said, ‘Each house should manage its own domain.’” He explained that the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MCST) must take the lead in determining whether certain behaviors constitute superstition and should therefore be dealt with.
“Once these behaviors are defined, if identification or blocking is required, the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) can act swiftly. We have established guidelines, coordination procedures, and tools to address such issues,” Minister Hung affirmed.
The Minister also mentioned that, based on defined criteria for superstition—whether conveyed through text, image, or speech - the MIC has tools for monitoring these activities.
“Vietnamese digital enterprises have developed tools that analyze images and assess behavior, helping us identify superstition-related content. When detected, we report these to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism for action,” he added.
Minister Hung also noted that the MIC is working with social media platforms to require them to develop automatic scanning and removal tools once superstition-related criteria are well-defined.
“This marks a significant shift. Previously, we would detect and ask platforms to remove content, but now, they must proactively take responsibility. As profitable entities, social media platforms have a duty to ensure a clean, healthy digital environment,” said Minister Hung.
The Minister further emphasized stricter enforcement against superstition-related practices, with measures ranging from administrative to criminal penalties for serious violations.
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