Telegram Banned in Việt Nam: A New Era of Increased Cyber Censorship?

Blocking Platforms

On May 23, 2025, Việt Nam's internet regulators ordered all local telecommunication providers to block public access to Telegram. The official reasons cited [1] for the prohibition were concerns over "national security," the spread of "toxic content," and the platform's impact on the country's "moral standards."

Authorities also alleged that "68% of the total 9,600 Telegram channels and groups in the country were created by opposition and reactionary elements spreading anti-government documents." They further claimed that other group chats were associated with "fraud, the sale of user data, illegal drugs, and suspected terrorist activities."

According to official estimates, 11.84 million Vietnamese users were active on Telegram in 2024, accounting for roughly one-fifth of the country's total internet users.

The blockage was announced without prior warning, but Telegram had previously been depicted [2] by state media as a "dark haven" for illicit activities where cyber criminals roam free. With this ban, the Vietnamese government has demonstrated its commitment to controlling the flow of online information while penalizing social media platforms that reject its censorship demands.

Censorship, of course, is not a new phenomenon in the one-party socialist state of Việt Nam; it is an inherent feature of the communist regime. While maintaining total authority over the domestic news and publication sector, the regime has become increasingly adept at coercing international tech companies into enforcing moderation of anti-state content and handing over user data upon request.

Given the totalitarian nature of the Hà Nội authorities, it is unclear whether this prohibition is intended to safeguard internet users from online harms or to strengthen the regime's grip on online communities and discussions beyond its control.

For example, the Ministry of Science and Technology—which absorbed the former Ministry of Telecommunications and Technology in a recent merger—once threatened [3] to shut down the popular TikTok app over non-compliance with content and cybersecurity regulations.

Meanwhile, Facebook's transparency report declared [4] that between 2015 and 2022, the company had complied with 18 of 61 removal requests from the Vietnamese government, making it one of the most compliant social media platforms in adhering to the government's censorship orders.

However, unlike its approach with Facebook and TikTok, the preemptive blocking of Telegram and the game streaming platform Steam [5]—along with the apparent shadow-banning of Reddit, a forum-like social network that allows anonymous posting—reflects a strategic shift.

An internet user in Việt Nam cannot access Telegram, Reddit, or Steam without using a virtual private network (VPN). According to the Vietnamese regulators' announcement, Telegram and Steam have one thing in common that led to their bans: both companies had "failed to cooperate with local authorities" and "did not respond" to government requests.

Telegram and the newly merged MOST have not immediately responded to The Vietnamese Magazine's requests for comment.

What Sets Việt Nam Apart

Compared to Telegram or Reddit, Meta (Facebook), Google, and TikTok have demonstrated a degree of collaboration with the Vietnamese government, either by partially enforcing the regime's censorship demands or aiding its propaganda efforts. This compromise is understandable, as the Southeast Asian nation is one of Facebook and Google's largest markets, with a sprawling e-commerce sector and a tech-savvy generation that is increasingly active on social media.

This context explains why the outright ban of Telegram is meant to give Việt Nam leverage in negotiating with the platform on content moderation and data sharing. It is not an exaggeration to say that this "strike first, negotiate later" strategy is reminiscent of President Donald Trump's approach to trade tariffs.

Furthermore, Telegram and Reddit's well-known features, such as end-to-end encryption and anonymity, enable Vietnamese internet users to protect their online privacy, but have complicated the cyber police's efforts to censor anti-state discourse and crack down on illegal activities.

To be fair, Telegram's alleged refusal to take down illicit content has drawn controversy worldwide, leading to the arrest of its founder, Pavel Durov, in France in August 2024. Although Durov was later released, his platform has faced accusations [6] of being a haven for cyber crimes and fraudulent activities, such as the arms trade and the distribution of child pornography.

Several governments, both democratic and totalitarian, have either banned or launched investigations [7] into Telegram to tackle disinformation, copyright violations, and the use of the platform for organized crime.

However, what differentiates the Southeast Asian country's actions from those of democratic governments—and aligns it with other authoritarian states—is the motivation behind the ban. While democracies pressure the company to remove harmful content and protect vulnerable populations, authoritarian regimes like Belarus, China, Russia, and Thailand block Telegram out of fear that it can be used to organize protests and other political movements.

Moreover, according to Vu Lam, a policy analyst and specialist affiliated with UNSW Canberra, Hà Nội's order was not reviewed by an independent judiciary [8] through due process but was instead mandated by a cybersecurity police apparatus whose internal activities and budget are shrouded in secrecy.

This cyber police force, codenamed A05, is tasked with monitoring dissent and maintains an organized presence in all 63 of Việt Nam's provinces. Officers at A05 actively scour social media channels for unwanted political content, while this police division is also, ironically, responsible for protecting citizens' personal data.

Hanoi's expanding scrutiny of foreign social media providers stems from its ambition to rein in foreign tech companies, particularly after its previous attempts to nurture compliant domestic social media alternatives failed to yield the desired results (except the homegrown messaging service Zalo).

Notable developments include a new draft law limiting [9] the transfer of user data overseas and the establishment [10] of an obscure cyber governance agency, the Steering Committee 35. This committee (“Ban chỉ đạo 35”) is responsible for "defending the Communist Party's ideological foundation," "combating hostile forces on social media," and "guiding public opinions away from anti-state, biased information."

Returning to Telegram, the company's directors now face a dilemma: either give in to Hà Nội's censorship demands or risk losing one of their largest and fastest-growing markets. Remi Vaughn, a Telegram representative, stated [11] that the company "was processing the authorities' request" without providing further details.

Analysts believe the decision to block the platform has deprived the Vietnamese people of access to a relatively stable and secure service, while potentially complicating the authorities' control efforts as more users may turn to VPNs or alternative encrypted applications to evade the ban. To be sure, information control remains at the forefront of Việt Nam's concerns.

The outright prohibition of Telegram serves as a warning sign of the country's increasingly assertive stance on regulating foreign social networking sites. More restrictions and regulations are likely to come. However, the government should note that the need to cleanse the digital sphere of harmful content must be balanced with the duty to protect the rights of its internet users.