Dear Readers,
Since 2017, you have read, shared, and trusted The Vietnamese Magazine at a time when independent reporting on Việt Nam is increasingly rare—and increasingly risky.
Your support has allowed us to document stories that would otherwise remain untold: about power and accountability, about human rights and repression, and about voices that are silenced at home but still deserve to be heard globally.
Today, we are writing to you with both gratitude and honesty about what it takes to continue this work.
To remain the world’s leading independent English-language publication on Việt Nam, we are transitioning to a reader-funded membership model.
This shift is not cosmetic. It is essential.
Independent journalism cannot survive on goodwill alone. Financial independence and editorial freedom are inseparable in an environment that constrains the free press and shrinks democratic space. By building a community of paying members, we reduce reliance on external grants and strengthen our reader-centric strategy.
Starting February 2, 2026, The Vietnamese Magazine is introducing a range of membership tiers, with plans starting at $9.99 per month.
- For our current and past donors and partners, we will reach out to offer complimentary access as a token of our gratitude for your support over the years.
- For our current newsletter subscribers, we have automatically placed you on our Free Tier as a valued reader, and you will continue to have access to selected content. You can sign in here using your email address, no password is needed, although you can start setting up your password now.
If you believe that Việt Nam deserves a future shaped by informed citizens, accountable institutions, and a free press, then becoming a paid member is one of the most direct ways to act on that belief.
Your membership is not just a subscription.
It is a statement of values.
It is an investment in truth.
It is solidarity with independent journalists working under pressure.
We invite you to stand with us, not only as readers, but as partners in defending independent media and democratic principles in Việt Nam.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for sharing. And thank you for believing that journalism still matters.
With appreciation and resolve,
The Vietnamese Magazine Team
