The Vietnamese government recently issued Decree 174/2026/ND-CP, which sets out administrative sanctions in the fields of postal services, telecommunications, radio frequencies, electronic transactions and information technology.
Unauthorised sharing of journalistic, literary and artistic works without permission may incur fines of up to VND 30 million (illustrative photo).
Under Article 95 of the decree, individuals who provide or share journalistic works, literary or artistic creations, and publications without the consent of intellectual property owners, or materials that have not been licensed for circulation or have been banned or confiscated, can face fines ranging from VND 20 million to VND 30 million (approximately USD 770 to USD 1,150).
The same penalties apply to the use of social media platforms to distribute false or misleading information, defamatory content, fabricated information or material deemed harmful to the reputation of organisations or the dignity of individuals.
The decree also targets content promoting social evils, prostitution, human trafficking or obscene material considered damaging to public morality, cultural values or public health, provided the violations do not reach the threshold for criminal prosecution.
Additional violations subject to fines include advertising or sharing information about prohibited goods and services, and posting maps of Vietnam that fail to properly represent national sovereignty.
The regulation further prohibits the use of social media to produce content in the form of journalistic reports, investigations or interviews without proper authorisation, as well as sharing links to prohibited online content.
Under the decree, media organisations that fail to notify authorities when creating accounts, community pages, channels or groups on domestic or foreign social media platforms may also face penalties.
Administrators of social media accounts, channels and online communities can also be fined if they fail to remove unlawful content, information affecting the legitimate rights and interests of organisations or individuals, or harmful content involving children when requested by competent authorities.
The decree will take effect on July 1.
