Disseminating fake news could incur fines up to VND50 Million (US$1,900)
In early 2026, the HCMC Traffic Police (under the HCMC Public Security Department) discovered an individual posting false information about their rigorous operations. This isn’t an isolated incident. Recently, functional forces have penalized numerous accounts for sharing unverified or highly speculative information regarding the traffic police’s activities.
Previously, on March 28, 2025, the HCMC Public Security Department’s Internal Political Security Division fined a violator VND7.5 million ($285) for uploading fake news concerning unit leadership.
These incidents starkly illustrate that fabricated information is popping up at an alarming rate, spreading rapidly, and damaging reputations while risking social order.
Consequently, these reckless behaviors will face vastly heavier penalties under Decree No.174/2026/ND-CP, officially taking effect July 1, 2026, which strictly regulates administrative sanctions across the bustling sectors of postal services, telecommunications, radio frequencies, electronic transactions, and information technology.
Specifically, according to Article 95 of Decree No.174/2026/ND-CP, the act of providing or sharing counterfeit information, blatant falsehoods, malicious distortions, and slander that fundamentally insults the reputation of agencies and organizations, or severely damages the honor and dignity of individuals, will incur hefty fines ranging from VND20-30 million ($760-$1,140).
Furthermore, if the act of supplying or disseminating false information actively causes mass public panic, inflicts sheer damage on socio-economic operations, inherently complicates the tasks of state agencies or on-duty officials, and actively infringes upon the legitimate rights and underlying interests of other entities, yet hasn’t reached the threshold for criminal prosecution, the penalty skyrockets to between VND30-50 million ($1,140-$1,900).
Additionally, perpetrators are mandatorily forced to scrub the false information and have their accounts permanently locked. These brand-new penalty brackets have surged two to three times compared to the current regulations.
For Lawyer Le Thi Lan Phuong of the HCMC Bar Association, drastically increasing sanctions is necessary to elevate systemic deterrence. “Decree No.174/2026/ND-CP doesn’t aim to suppress citizens’ rights to free speech or constructive criticism,” she explained. The law steadfastly protects the public’s right to express diverse opinions. Targeted behaviors are strictly the widespread dissemination of unverified falsehoods threatening society.
Livestream selling must ensure authentic identities, accurate information
The crackdown isn’t merely about hiking up penalties for spreading blatant lies across social media networks. Starting July 1, 2026, the 2025 E-commerce Law will officially take effect, explicitly imposing stricter requirements squarely aimed at the bustling realm of livestream selling.
According to the provisions, livestream sellers must transparently provide crucial information to the e-commerce platform’s management unit to thoroughly authenticate their identities, while strictly adhering to the platform’s operational rules. If the seller fails to submit the full suite of required documents, the platform management bears the responsibility to outright refuse cooperation.
The new law also dictates that livestreamers can’t dish out highly misleading or confusing information regarding the specific utilities, origins, quality, retail prices, promotional campaigns, or warranty policies bound to their products and services.
For commodities and services strictly requiring formal advertising content verification, livestreamers are only permitted to broadcast the exact content previously greenlit by competent authorities. Whenever a violation is successfully flagged or functional agencies directly intervene, the livestreamer must immediately pull the plug on their broadcast, entirely terminate partnerships, and meticulously scrub all related content.
For Lawyer Nguyen Huu Ngoc, another legal expert from the HCMC Bar Association, tracking down modern cyber-violators has always been a headache.
“In reality, when investigative agencies previously tackled massive cases concerning the online trade of counterfeit and smuggled goods, the most agonizing hurdle was that these violators consistently exploited a highly sophisticated chain of anonymity encompassing clone accounts, spamming SIM cards, and phantom warehouse addresses,” he explained, pointing out the glaring loopholes in the old system.
Whenever functional forces finally interfere, these shadowy figures would instantaneously wipe their digital footprints and completely vanish into thin air. However, it’s widely believed that the brand-new regulations stemming from the 2025 E-commerce Law will fundamentally curb this rampant abuse of online anonymity to commit severe violations.
Flawlessly synchronizing the seller’s livestream account directly with the National Population Database essentially means that a digital account is inextricably linked to a real-life identity. If authorities detect any glaring signs of counterfeit goods, they can instantaneously pinpoint the exact account owner pulling the strings behind the screen to rapidly deploy emergency preventive measures.
The 2025 E-commerce Law states that if a livestreamer intentionally aids shady brands in deceiving the broader public, they must bear joint responsibility to fully compensate consumers for any resulting damages. Furthermore, if their reckless actions inflict severe consequences, the livestreamer can face grueling criminal prosecution as an accomplice (providing crucial assistance) under the charge of “Deceptive Advertising” (Article 197 of the Penal Code) or “Deceiving Customers” (Article 198 of the Penal Code).
