Vietnam To Fine Social Media Users For Spreading Fake News Starting July 1

HANOI, June 30 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Vietnam will impose fines ranging from 20 million to 30 million Vietnamese dong (about US$794 to US$1,190) on individuals who provide or share fake, false, distorted or defamatory information on social media that harms the reputation of agencies and organisations or the honour and dignity of individuals, reported Xinhua citing local newspaper Nhan Dan Tuesday.

The same penalties will also apply to offences such as sharing graphic images depicting killings, violence, accidents or other disturbing scenes, or distributing copyrighted journalistic, literary or artistic works without authorisation. They also cover promoting prohibited goods or services, posting maps of Vietnam that misrepresent the country's sovereignty, and sharing links to online content banned under Vietnamese law, the report said.

Under the new regulations, fines ranging from 30 million to 50 million Vietnamese dong (about US$1,190 to US$1,984) will be imposed for sharing content that distorts history, denies revolutionary achievements, undermines national unity, insults religions, or incites gender or racial discrimination, provided the acts do not warrant criminal prosecution.

The same penalty range also applies to disclosing state secrets, personal privacy or other confidential information below the threshold for criminal liability, as well as spreading false information that causes public panic, disrupts socio-economic activities, hinders the operation of state agencies or public officials, or infringes upon the lawful rights and interests of organisations and individuals, the report added.

The policies are included in a government decree that takes effect on July 1, 2026. 

--BERNAMA- XINHUA