Content Creation in Việt Nam: Navigating Censorship and Post-Takedowns 

“I love my country, but I don’t love the party, OK? One, two, three, come at me, cows.” [The slang term “cows” is used for pro-government online commenters in Việt Nam.]

When a TikToker in Đà Nẵng posted a video clip saying exactly that in early 2025, it went viral within hours. However, several negative remarks about Hồ Chí Minh during livestreams on his account, baochaubatman, led the Đà Nẵng police to fine him 30 million đồng (about $1,140). The video distinguishing his love for the country from the party was subsequently deleted, and he has since sharply cut back on political content on TikTok. [1]

Today, the threat of being fined is one of the biggest fears for social media content creators. Whether producing a clip about society or a piece of criticism, the boundary between creativity and breaking the rules is very narrow.

Fined and Prosecuted for Posting Online

Recently, a string of content creators have been fined under very ambiguous circumstances:

• In April 2025, two TikTokers were fined 7.5 million đồng each for making a comedy video about losing their belongings in Sài Gòn. [2]
• In February 2026, a 64-year-old man in Đà Nẵng was fined 7.5 million đồng for posting a picture of a mascot edited with artificial intelligence. [3]
• In May 2026, a man in Hà Nội was fined 7.5 million đồng for posting a photo of “rice drying outdoors popping into puffed rice.” [4]
• In June 2026, a young woman was fined 7.5 million đồng for telling a story about being haunted by a ghost in Ninh Bình. [5] A week later, a man in Lạng Sơn was fined 30 million đồng for “insulting the leader.” [6]

Clear standards for what constitutes a violation are practically nonexistent. Targeted content is not strictly political; it includes mundane comedy and AI creations. Authorities frequently issue these fines without demonstrating actual harm or providing clear explanations, relying instead on vague justifications like sharing fake information, spreading false information, or harming culture and public aesthetics.

Yet, a fine is only the lighter penalty compared to criminal prosecution: 

• In October 2026, Thanh Hóa provincial police charged and arrested TikToker Hoàng Quốc Minh, known as Minh Sầm Sơn, for producing “videos glorifying violence.” [7]
• Earlier, in August 2026, Hồ Chí Minh City police charged TikToker Lê Thị Hiểu, known as QuyHoi, for posting a video saying that “38,800 businesses have withdrawn from the market.” [8]
• The most prominent case occurred in July 2026, when Nguyễn Thành Nam and Trần Việt Anh were charged and arrested over the book Chuyện Với Thanh (A Story with Thanh) and content on the website Spiderum.

“The rules in Việt Nam are something very murky. Anyone can be fined for one of their videos,” an economics TikToker noted. “If there’s a line, it’s probably: don’t condemn the party, don’t criticize the leaders, and don’t curse at other people.”

“One of the most confusing things is Article 331 of the Penal Code, which punishes a person for ‘infringing upon the interests of the state, organizations, and individuals.’ Human rights groups regularly criticize this provision for being vague and unclear,” explained D., a legal professional. 

She added, “One core principle of criminal law is clarity and specificity so people know what to do and what to avoid. Vagueness allows the justice system to abuse its power and judge matters subjectively.”

A commercial TikTok scriptwriter admitted, “I used to think only people who made political content got fined, so I avoided every controversial topic.”

Dưa Leo, a well-known Vietnamese social commentary YouTuber, once summarized his approach: “I still make videos and still talk about society, but I choose my words a little more carefully to avoid unnecessary trouble. You have to understand, because in the end, I’m the one standing in front of the camera. I’m truly grateful for your support, but I’m still the one who takes the hit.” [9] 

He posted this sentiment back in December 2016 after being summoned by the Internal Political Security Department (PA83) of the Hồ Chí Minh City police, proving that the pressure to self-censor has been entrenched for years.

Platform Complicity in Censorship and Moderation

Beyond government mandates, content creators endure significant pressure from the moderation policies of major platforms like TikTok and Facebook. This is particularly true for those covering sensitive topics such as economics or politics, where a single violation or user report can result in deleted posts, reduced reach, or total channel removal.

Lợi Nguyễn, who has more than 100,000 followers across Facebook and TikTok, regularly produces clips on economics and society. His troubles began after publishing a video about VinFast that covered everything from defects in its cars to its unbuilt factory in North Carolina, resulting in his account being repeatedly reported and removed. When he returned a few weeks later to announce he would no longer discuss VinFast because “right now, they’re the ones with the power and the money,” that follow-up video was also deleted within days. [10]

Having content reported and removed is a common hazard when creators touch upon sensitive issues or the interests of massive corporations. While copyright infringement is the most frequent pretext for these reports, outright removal at the request of a state agency is more serious. [11]

In August 2025, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) hosted a nationwide conference titled “KOLs in the Era of the Nation’s Rise.” [12] The stated objective was to build a network of key opinion leaders (KOLs) to “promote positive influence and drive the ever-growing development of the national economy, culture, and media.” To independent creators, however, the underlying goal is clearly to co-opt prominent TikTok and Facebook accounts to control public opinion.

“The state is deliberately vague partly because it wants everyone to be afraid. It makes you think cautiously before you write a Facebook post or upload a TikTok clip,” noted B., a social media management professional. “The result is hundreds of KOLs all saying exactly the same thing.”

This is hardly surprising in a country ranked 174th out of 180 in Reporters Without Borders’ 2026 World Press Freedom Index. [13] With all publishing houses under government censorship, independent journalism has practically been erased.

The Struggle to Make Money

Beyond facing restricted reach, social commentators encounter significant obstacles when trying to monetize their content. While content creators in Việt Nam can currently earn money directly on platforms like Facebook and YouTube, approval is far from guaranteed.

One Facebook creator with 200,000 followers explained this disparity: 

“The platform refused to turn on monetization for me, even though I make original content and have never committed a single violation. Meanwhile, people who make comedy or food content can make money, but people like me can’t. If you make content about fashion or restaurants, you can earn from ads or selling products. But when you make content about society, brands become very wary.”

In addition, a marketing professional with seven years of experience noted that before a brand selects a TikToker or YouTuber for promotion, it immediately checks whether the creator produces sensitive content. Consequently, those focusing on social commentary rarely secure advertising deals.

Only a Few Social Commentary Channels

The constant threat of a 7.5 million đồng fine, online denunciation, account termination, and financial blacklisting is more than enough to discourage the average person. Yet, some creators continue to swim against the current. An increasing number of young people are joining online discussions about society, though they carefully curate their words to limit direct criticism of the government.

For example, in October 2024, the YouTube account Ly Kỳ posted a clip titled “I’ll Show You How to Become a Trash Page” [14], which publicly criticized Tifosi, a prominent pro-government Facebook page. Similarly, the YouTube channel Linh’s Shareables has openly criticized extreme patriotism, noting that such individuals often try to force others to love the country exactly the way they do. [15]

Other creators adopt a more subtle approach, posing calculated questions that allow audiences to draw their own conclusions. In September 2026, Minh Ohio, a Vietnamese American who frequently visits Việt Nam, posted on Facebook: “Việt Nam today has developed bridges, roads, high-rises, metro lines, infrastructure, and a modern management system. Yet people’s lives, in terms of wages, education, health care, and social welfare, have stood still for the past 20 years! True or false? Who in VN dares to argue?” [16] 

In the resulting comment sections, readers highlighted issues like low wages, high inflation, and surging home prices. It is a strategic way for citizens to indirectly critique the state without being labeled “reactionaries” or “hostile forces.”

The number of social commentators will likely continue to grow. However, the overwhelming risks and pervasive censorship ensure they will remain a small minority compared to state media and state-aligned KOLs. For this independent ecosystem to expand, platforms must implement fair monetization policies, and the audience community must reach a sustainable size.

“If you want to make critical content, it’s best to have another passport,” a young TikToker with over 200,000 followers admitted. “So that if anything happens, someone can still rescue you, or you can go abroad.”

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Andy Nguyen wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on October 26, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.