ietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications has ordered the country’s telecommunications providers to block access to the messaging platform Telegram.
The government directive, accessed by Reuters, accuses the app of failing to assist in combating widespread criminal activities by its users.
The directive, dated May 21 and signed by the deputy head of the telecom department, instructs telecom companies to take immediate steps to restrict Telegram and to report their implementation measures by June 2. The action follows recommendations from the country’s cybersecurity agency, which was alerted by police reports on illegal use of the app.
Authorities say that 68% of the 9,600 Telegram channels and groups operating in Vietnam are believed to be involved in criminal activities, including fraud, drug trafficking, and cases “suspected of being related to terrorism.”
The government’s move highlights increasing concern over the role of encrypted platforms in facilitating illicit operations, and adds to a global trend of heightened scrutiny against messaging services accused of enabling unchecked criminal conduct.
Vietnamese officials have not yet clarified whether the block will be permanent or conditional upon Telegram’s future cooperation with local law enforcement. Telegram has not issued an official response to the Vietnamese directive as of Friday morning.
Vietnam, which maintains strict controls over digital communications and online content, has previously acted against other global platforms that it says do not comply with its laws on cybersecurity and public order.
A Vietnamese court has sentenced 23 officials and businesspeople for illegally exploiting and exporting rare earths from a northern mine, in a case the court called "especially serious."
Vietnam and Thailand have officially upgraded their ties to a strategic partnership, marking a significant step forward in regional diplomacy.
Vietnam has approved a $1.5 billion project by the Trump Organization and Kinhbac City to build golf courses, resorts, and homes. Work is set to begin this quarter and finish by mid-2029.
Vietnam and Azerbaijan plan to expand cooperation in oil exploration and production. Several energy sector agreements were signed during the recent state visit of To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, to Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan and Vietnam formalized a strategic partnership as President Ilham Aliyev and Communist Party leader To Lam signed key agreements in Baku.
A total of 270 Russian servicemen and 120 civilians, including some from the Kursk Region, have been returned to Russia as part of a large-scale prisoner exchange with Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Friday.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to support international efforts aimed at securing a ceasefire in Ukraine, during their first official phone conversation since Merz took office.
U.S.-based private equity firm Redbird Capital Partners has reached an agreement to acquire the UK’s Telegraph Media Group for £500 million, becoming the sole owner of the 170-year-old newspaper and ending a prolonged period of financial and ownership instability.
The settlement of Radkivka in Ukraine's Kharkiv region was captured in an operation, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
President Donald Trump on Friday threatened a 25% import tax on iPhones made outside the U.S. and called for a 50% tariff on all EU imports starting in June, pressuring Apple and escalating his broader trade stanc
Tensions flare in the India-France Rafale deal as France refuses to share the fighter jet’s source code, limiting India’s ability to integrate indigenous weapons and reducing its combat autonomy.
France has rejected India’s request to share source codes needed to integrate indigenous weapons into Rafale fighter jets. Despite repeated appeals, French manufacturer Dassault Aviation has refused to compromise on the issue
Anton Kobyakov, adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum that the USSR’s dissolution was legally invalid and that the Soviet Union still exists under constitutional law, framing the Ukraine war as an “internal process.”
In a region long defined by conflict and complex history, AnewZ set out to hear the voices that matter most- those of the people.
AnewZ and Kazakhstan’s Jibek Joly/Silk Way TV channel co-hosted a special AnewZ Talks in Astana at Maqsut Narikbayev University (MNU), uniting global experts and young leaders at Silk Road Media Group’s journalism school to explore the growing intersection of media and diplomacy.
A total of 270 Russian servicemen and 120 civilians, including some from the Kursk Region, have been returned to Russia as part of a large-scale prisoner exchange with Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Friday.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to support international efforts aimed at securing a ceasefire in Ukraine, during their first official phone conversation since Merz took office.
U.S.-based private equity firm Redbird Capital Partners has reached an agreement to acquire the UK’s Telegraph Media Group for £500 million, becoming the sole owner of the 170-year-old newspaper and ending a prolonged period of financial and ownership instability.
The settlement of Radkivka in Ukraine's Kharkiv region was captured in an operation, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
President Donald Trump on Friday threatened a 25% import tax on iPhones made outside the U.S. and called for a 50% tariff on all EU imports starting in June, pressuring Apple and escalating his broader trade stanc
A total of 270 Russian servicemen and 120 civilians, including some from the Kursk Region, have been returned to Russia as part of a large-scale prisoner exchange with Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Friday.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to support international efforts aimed at securing a ceasefire in Ukraine, during their first official phone conversation since Merz took office.
U.S.-based private equity firm Redbird Capital Partners has reached an agreement to acquire the UK’s Telegraph Media Group for £500 million, becoming the sole owner of the 170-year-old newspaper and ending a prolonged period of financial and ownership instability.
The settlement of Radkivka in Ukraine's Kharkiv region was captured in an operation, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
President Donald Trump on Friday threatened a 25% import tax on iPhones made outside the U.S. and called for a 50% tariff on all EU imports starting in June, pressuring Apple and escalating his broader trade stanc
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment