The Government has issued Decree No. 174/2026/ND-CP regulating administrative penalties in the fields of postal services, telecommunications, radio frequencies, electronic transactions and information technology, including notable provisions on violations related to the use of social media services.
The decree will take effect on July 1, 2026.
Under the decree, violations of regulations governing social media use may incur fines ranging from VND20 million to VND30 million for exploiting social media to commit acts such as providing or sharing fake, false, distorted or defamatory information, or content that harms the reputation of organizations or the honor and dignity of individuals.
The same penalty applies to sharing content that promotes social evils, prostitution, human trafficking, obscene or depraved material, or content deemed harmful to national traditions, social ethics or public health where criminal prosecution is not warranted. It also covers content depicting graphic violence, killings, accidents or horror scenes.
Authorities have announced that fines ranging from VND20 million to VND30 million will be imposed on a series of violations involving media and online content. These include acts such as sharing journalistic, literary, artistic, or published works without the consent of intellectual property rights holders; distributing publications or materials banned from circulation; advertising or promoting prohibited goods and services; circulating maps of Vietnam that misrepresent national sovereignty; providing links to restricted online content; and producing journalistic-style reports, investigations, or interviews on social media without proper authorization.
The penalties underscore the Government’s tightening stance on safeguarding intellectual property, national sovereignty, and the integrity of information shared online.
Media agencies that fail to notify authorities when establishing accounts, community pages, content channels or online groups on domestic or foreign social media platforms as required by law may also face the same level of fines.
The decree imposes higher fines of VND30 million to VND50 million for acts such as distorting history, denying revolutionary achievements, undermining national unity, insulting religion, promoting gender discrimination or racial discrimination where criminal prosecution does not apply.
The higher penalty also applies to disclosing state secrets, personal privacy or other confidential information without reaching the threshold for criminal liability, as well as sharing false information that causes public panic, damages socio-economic activities, obstructs state agencies or public officials, or infringes upon the lawful rights and interests of organizations and individuals.
As remedial measures, the decree requires the removal of false, misleading or illegal content and mandates the suspension of accounts, community pages, groups or content channels involved in violations.
