Key Events 

• Hồ Chí Minh City Media Merger Signals Tighter State Control;
• Unverified Reports Of Vũ Trung’s Death Revive Rumors About Hồ Chí Minh’s Alleged Son;
• Việt Nam Launches Influencer Database as Online Oversight Expands;
• Gia Bình Residents Face Utility Cuts, Grave Leveling Amid Airport Clearance;
• Hà Nội Walks Diplomatic Tightrope as U.S. Pressure on Cuba Grows.

Media Shake-Up Tightens Party Control Over the Press

Hồ Chí Minh City’s new press and broadcast agency has marked another major step in Việt Nam’s effort to reshape its state-run media system into fewer, larger, and more centrally managed multimedia institutions, Tuổi Trẻ Newspaper reports.

On June 20, the Hồ Chí Minh City Party Committee announced the establishment of the Hồ Chí Minh City Press and Radio-Television Agency, appointing Lê Văn Minh as its general director for a five-year term.