Vietnam confronts rising tide of digital disinformation

In late August, as the nation eagerly prepared for National Day celebrations, social media erupted over a video clip. It allegedly showed a 90-year-old man being denied entry to a parade area because he “hadn’t purchased a spot”. Within hours, the video had garnered tens of thousands of interactions, stoking public outrage.

The reality, however, was that the man was being escorted to a priority seat. The poster, a 20-year-old student, was later forced to issue a public apology for his “inference born of personal frustration”. The incident is yet another stark reminder of the terrifying virality of fake news in cyberspace, a phenomenon that far eclipses the limited reach of the illicit “dark webs” of the past.

Whereas malicious content once lurked on obscure websites with minimal traffic, it has now migrated almost entirely to social media. Platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube have become fertile ground for its proliferation. And while these platforms have content moderation systems, the sheer velocity of disinformation often outpaces any effort to contain it.

From isolated incidents to orchestrated campaigns, the tactics employed are growing increasingly sophisticated. This past April, the police in Lam Dong Province questioned four individuals for sharing articles that misrepresented the merger of local administrative units, falsely claiming it was a scheme for police to “legitimize a budget deficit”.

More recently, on September 9, the police in Lao Cai Province took action against a group of Chinese nationals who were using social media to disseminate fabricated videos distorting the cultural life and traditions of ethnic minorities in Ta Van Commune. The content was not only factually incorrect but also defamatory, tarnishing the cultural image of the local people.

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has breathed new life into these old tactics. AI, a tool of immense value in the digital age, is being dangerously exploited for wreaking havoc. Ill-intention people can now leverage AI to generate fake news articles, create deepfake videos of leaders making fabricated statements, and even deploy chatbots to automate the spread of distorted comments, creating an echo chamber that reinforces false beliefs.

During the 50^th anniversary of the Liberation of the South, numerous fake articles surfaced, “polished” by AI with sophisticated language and compelling imagery, making it nearly impossible for the average reader to discern fact from fiction. The core problem is the sheer volume as AI can produce a deluge of disinformation that far exceeds the capacity of authorities to manually debunk.

The issue is further complicated by public figures. Alongside Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) who use their platforms for good, a number, whether intentionally or not, have become vectors for falsehoods.

One prominent TikToker brazenly paired a photo of Duong Khac Mai, Deputy Head of the Lam Dong National Assembly Deputies Delegation, with a fabricated quote about “fining people who drink alcohol after 8:00 p.m.” The post generated over 9,000 comments and was shared thousands of times, compelling the official to request a formal investigation.

In other cases, a well-known KOL was fined for falsely claiming to be an “ambassador for an agricultural fair”, while another account mistakenly altered the national motto in a post celebrating National Day. These examples illustrate a critical point: when a public figure stumbles in the digital space, the resulting fallout can be as damaging as the calculated schemes of hostile forces.

According to a January 2025 DataReportal report, Vietnam is home to approximately 79 million internet users and 76 million social media accounts, placing it among the world’s most connected nations. This vast digital ecosystem presents an unprecedented opportunity for education and the dissemination of knowledge. But it is this same battleground that hostile forces exploit to sow disinformation and distort state policies.

The Government’s response has been robust. Between September 2024 and April 2025, the Ministry of Public Security blocked over 17,000 non-compliant websites and social media accounts. At Vietnam Cybersecurity Day on August 5, ministry leaders affirmed that numerous cyberattacks had been neutralized and individuals using cyberspace to undermine social order had been prosecuted.

A “people’s security posture on cyberspace” is gradually being established, aiming to foster a safe and healthy online environment. Concurrently, authorities are developing legal frameworks to govern emerging technologies like AI and blockchain.

Strategically, Dr Doan Nguyen Thuy Trang of the HCMC Cadre Academy insists that official channels cannot ignore social media to prevail online. “This is where the public, especially the youth, meets”, she argues. “Ceding this space is a self-inflicted weakness.”

She advocates for a proactive strategy of “greening” the digital space with concise, visually appealing official content, rather than merely reacting to falsehoods and leaving a “communication vacuum” for malicious actors to exploit.

Dr Than Ngoc Anh from the Academy of Politics Region II argues that the fundamental shield is public “information resistance”, built through media literacy. He says citizens must learn to differentiate credible sources from disinformation to reject it themselves. In this ideological struggle, every citizen becomes a “soldier”, not just a user, helping to safeguard a clean digital environment.