Vietnam: Decree 72 restricts blogs to personal information
Vietnam's Decree 72 took effect in September 2013, barring bloggers and social media users from linking to or reposting news from press organizations or foreign government websites, restricting them to sharing personal information only.1234
- Country
- Viet Nam
- Where
- VN
- Level of government
- National
- Tactic
- Official labels
- Stage
- Pressure (see the ladder)
- Ladder note
- Vietnam's decree barred bloggers from sharing news articles at all, restricting them to personal content on pain of prosecution; no United States rule confines an outlet or blogger to personal content.
- Head of government at the time
- Nguyen Tan Dung
- Issue of the day
- Not stated in the sources reviewed.
- Outcome
- Sustained, September 1, 2013. The decree remained in force and was not reported as reversed in the source reviewed.
- Era
- The 2010s
What happened
Vietnam's government issued Decree 72 in 2013, and it took effect on September 1, 2013, broadly prohibiting Vietnamese bloggers and internet users from linking to or reposting news from press organizations or information from foreign government websites, restricting personal blogs and social media accounts to sharing personal information only. The decree did not specify how global internet companies would be penalized if they refused to cooperate with government orders to identify bloggers who violated it or restrict their posts. A coalition of internet companies, the Asia Internet Coalition, said the decree would negatively affect Vietnam's internet economy and discourage businesses from operating in the country. A Vietnamese Ministry of Information official denied the decree amounted to a ban, saying the government had never stopped people from sharing information or linking to news from other websites.1234
Sustained as of the source reviewed.1234
What reason was given
"We never ban people from sharing information or linking news from websites."1
What changed for reporting
The decree gave authorities a legal basis to treat ordinary sharing or reposting of news articles online as a violation, adding to prosecutions Vietnam had already brought against individual bloggers over their reporting.2
Timeline
2013
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Nguyen Tan Dung | other | Prime Minister of Vietnam |
Sources
- Attacks on the Press: Vietnam analysis
- Vietnam rebuffs criticism of 'misunderstood' web decree
- Vietnam internet restrictions come into effect
Claims cited
- The government's own denial of the decree's effect.
We never ban people from sharing information or linking news from websites.
Attacks on the Press: Vietnam analysis, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2014-02-12. Claim 555, checked 2026-09-22. - Internet companies' response to the decree.
the Decree will negatively affect Vietnam's Internet ecosystem...stifle innovation and discourage businesses from operating in Vietnam
Attacks on the Press: Vietnam analysis, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2014-02-12. Claim 556, checked 2026-09-22. - The core restriction imposed by the decree.
broadly prohibits Vietnamese bloggers and Internet users from linking to or reposting news from press organizations or information from foreign government websites.
Attacks on the Press: Vietnam analysis, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2014-02-12. Claim 693, checked 2026-09-22. - Gap in the decree regarding enforcement against platforms.
The legislation was not explicit about how global Internet companies would be penalized for refusing to cooperate with official orders to identify or censor bloggers
Attacks on the Press: Vietnam analysis, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2014-02-12. Claim 694, checked 2026-09-22.