Vietnam is anxious for international media to tell its story, but a restrictive environment makes accurate and impactful coverage difficult, say media analysts.
That conflict of interests will be tested by the decision of The New York Times to open a bureau in the Southeast Asian country, where limited options exist for local independent journalism.
The announcement of the newspaper’s return to the country for the first time since 1975 was welcomed by Vietnam’s leadership.
Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang told local media that a New York Times office in Vietnam will provide more news of the country and the region. That, in turn, will help the international community to better understand Vietnam and its people.
Le added that she hopes the paper will shine a light on U.S.-Vietnamese relations.
Next year will mark 30 years of diplomatic relations between Washington and Hanoi. The U.S is also Vietnam’s second biggest trading partner and Hanoi’s largest export market.
In September 2023 the U.S and Vietnam upgraded diplomatic relations, signing what is called the “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace, Cooperation and Sustainable Development.”
Analysts say the agreement will encourage economic trade between the countries.
The New York Times’ office in Vietnam will be headed by Damien Cave. The newspaper closed its last office there at the end of the Vietnam War.
The New York Times declined VOA’s request for interviews with journalists who cover Southeast Asia, or questions about who will be based in Vietnam. But in a statement last month, it said that Cave will “explore the economy, culture and challenges of a vibrant, rapidly developing country.”
“The Times’s return to Vietnam is a sign of Asia’s rise as an important economic and political power center,” the statement said.
Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow at the Singapore-based political research center the ISEAS Institute, says Vietnam’s government wants to tell the country’s story through the limited international media that operate there.
“Vietnam’s growing economic and political importance has made it a more prominent subject, but outside of a few major news outlets, Western media presence in the country has been relatively limited,” he said.
“The government certainly wants the world to know more about the ‘Vietnam story,’ but I don’t think the perception of international media — or media in general — has changed.”
Beh Lih Yi, the Asia program coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists, told VOA that the move by The New York Times is “encouraging,” despite Vietnam’s “appalling” media freedom record.
“It is high time for the Vietnamese government to allow more media openness, as the Southeast Asian country transforms into a regional economic powerhouse and a key manufacturing hub in global supply chains,” she said by email.
Vietnam is a one-party communist state. The government has complete control over the state’s functions, social organizations and media. Although Vietnam has one of the fastest growing economies in the region, it has a poor reputation on corruption, political censorship, human rights and civic society.
That environment has long stifled Vietnam’s press environment.
Vietnam has “an appalling record of censorship. Foreign and local journalists who report in Vietnam face routine targeting and harassment from officials simply for doing their job,” Beh Lih Yi said in her email.
“Journalists have often been arbitrarily detained and jailed on bogus anti-state charges for their independent reporting.”
Vietnam ranked as the fifth worst jailer of journalists globally in late 2023, according to CPJ’s annual survey. At least 19 journalists, including Pham Chi Dung who contributed to VOA, were in prison, CPJ found.
VOA contacted Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs by email for a comment but did not receive a reply.
Although governed under a communist political system, Vietnam’s economy has seen impressive growth in the past decade. A World Bank forecast in October said Vietnam’s gross domestic product could grow 6.5% in 2025, which outpaces any other developing nation in the region.
“While it has growing economic clout, Vietnam must also fulfill its international press freedom obligations by allowing journalists to report freely and safely on the country, otherwise it will undermine investors’ confidence,” Beh Lih Yi said.
One Vietnamese journalist who works for an international broadcaster outside of Vietnam pointed out that all local media outlets in Vietnam are “tightly controlled by the Communist Party.” The journalist noted that authorities can still, outside the country’s borders, harass media through passport control and travel bans.
“Every editor-in-chief and senior staff member is required to be a party member, and they are appointed by government agencies, meaning there is no private or independent media,” added the journalist, who requested anonymity because of security fears.
“Journalists are prohibited from publishing content that questions the legitimacy of the ruling party, challenges key government policies or criticizes visiting foreign leaders. Reporting critically about the government or the party can result in serious consequences,” the journalist added.
The government is more concerned with Vietnamese-language stories, the journalist said. But Vietnamese journalists overseas are also targeted for their work.
“Because we work for free and independent media, we maintain our commitment to reporting both the positives and negatives of the government, always backed by facts. The government is uncomfortable with this.
“While they can control domestic media, they cannot exert the same level of control over us. As a result, they find other ways to pressure us,” the journalist said.
“The dilemma we face is that while we are employed by foreign media organizations, we are still Vietnamese citizens. This gives the Vietnamese government leverage over us — they can revoke or refuse to renew our passports, impose travel bans or restrict our movements.”
Vietnam has one of the worst environments for media freedom globally, according to Reporters Without Borders. The country ranks 174 out of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index, where number one indicates the best media environment.
