A single, crude comment aimed at local police has made one man the first reported case of being fined under Việt Nam’s strict new social media regulations.
The Latest: On July 7, 2026, police in Bảo Thắng commune, Lào Cai province, fined a man identified as P.V.S. 12.5 million đồng for allegedly using social media to insult the reputation of an agency or organization.
- He is the first person reported by state media to be penalized under the newly enacted Decree 174/2026.
The Details: According to the Lào Cai newspaper and the People’s Public Security newspaper, the 47-year-old man (born in 1979) used his personal Facebook account to post a comment deemed “improper” and “rude” on the Bảo Thắng commune police Facebook page.
- The specific comment read: “*** you … stop harassing people so much.”
- Police stated this action violated Point a, Clause 1, Article 95 of Decree 174/2026.
Following the incident, the commune police issued a warning against posting false information or sharing content that insults the reputation of agencies and organizations. The agency emphasized that “each social media account must take legal responsibility for the content it posts and shares,” and that all digital violations leave traces that will be “detected and strictly handled.”
On July 8, the Department of Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention under the Ministry of Public Security highlighted the case on its Facebook page, captioning it: “‘Opening round’ for Decree 174. Bad comment online = 12.5 million đồng ticket.”
- Luật Khoa noted that it could not independently verify whether this was the absolute first case under the new decree.
Responding to Facebook comments on July 7, the Bảo Thắng commune police maintained that the violation was handled according to the law and was “not for the purpose of ‘opening shop’ or issuing fines to meet a quota.”
When Luật Khoa contacted the Bảo Thắng commune police regarding the specific criteria used to assess the severity of the violation and impose a 12.5 million đồng fine, authorities responded that they rely on “each specific case and its circumstances” to apply an appropriate penalty in accordance with the law. In the case of P.V.S., police determined the comment possessed “the nature of insulting the police force.”
The New Decree: Decree 174/2026, which governs administrative penalties in postal services, telecommunications, radio frequencies, electronic transactions, and information technology, was issued on May 15 and officially took effect on July 1, 2026.
- Under Clause 1, Article 95 of the decree, “providing” or “sharing” information that is “false” or “insults the reputation of agencies or organizations” can result in fines ranging from 10 million to 15 million đồng for individuals, and 20 million to 30 million đồng for organizations.
- Clause 2 dictates that the same conduct can carry a 30 million to 50 million đồng fine if it “causes panic among the people, harms socioeconomic activity,” or “infringes on the lawful rights and interests of agencies or organizations.”
- Under Clause 3, Article 4, an individual who insults the reputation of an agency or organization on social media can be fined from 10 million to 15 million đồng.
Prior Legislation: Previously, under Decree 15/2020, authorities typically applied a 7.5 million đồng fine to online statements deemed “deviant” or “false.”
- Lê Quang Tự Do, head of the Authority of Broadcasting, Television and Electronic Information under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, previously stated that the 7.5 million đồng penalty was the midpoint of the 5 million to 10 million đồng fine range for certain administrative violations.
The Background: Historically, many citizens have been fined for posting or sharing information deemed “fake news” or “false,” particularly when the content criticizes the Communist Party, the state, and party and state leaders.
Authorities have also frequently penalized individuals who post staged content to attract engagement on social media.
- Past fines have been issued for baseless ghost stories, claims that rice grains drying in the heat popped like popcorn, or a person riding a python across Hoàn Kiếm Lake.
Lê Sáng wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on July 9, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine has the copyrights to the English translation.
