Vietnam’s Minister of Public Security, General Luong Tam Quang, has warned that harmful online content is eroding morals and national identity, particularly among young people, and said his ministry will deploy artificial intelligence to scan for and handle what it calls false information.
In a paper submitted to a national scientific conference on Saturday, organized by the National Assembly’s Committee on Culture and Society together with the Ministry of Public Security, Quang said deeper international integration gives Vietnam more chances to promote its culture but also exposes traditional values to infiltration and distortion.
What he warned about
Quang said “hostile and reactionary forces” are using social media to spread “wrong ideologies” and promote what he called a pragmatic, selfish and foreign-worshipping lifestyle, as well as to distort history and defame the country’s leaders. He described this as part of a “peaceful evolution” strategy, a term Vietnamese officials use for what they see as efforts to undermine the political system through non-military means.
He said such actors exploit algorithms and cross-border platforms to spread what he termed “rác phẩm”, a play on words that can be translated as “junk content”, along with fast-living and materialistic trends. He also pointed to a rise in verbal abuse, fake news and deviant behavior online, which he said threatens traditional family and social values.
Quang said high-tech crime increasingly targets “cultural security”, including spreading false information and violating intellectual property rights. He described this as a new form of “non-traditional security” threat.
He cited pirate streaming websites CakhiaTV and RakhoiTV, which he said were shut down in 2026 for illegally showing films, entertainment and sports for profit. He also said some platforms use AI to create deepfake videos, edit images or imitate the voices of political leaders and cultural figures.
What the ministry plans to do
Quang proposed building a strategy that links cultural security to national security, arguing that culture is both a spiritual foundation and a source of soft power that helps protect independence, sovereignty and political stability.
The strategy should emphasize early, grassroots prevention and build what he called a “cultural immune system” among citizens, especially young people. He said the effort should start with individuals and local communities before extending to regional and national levels.
The Ministry of Public Security will research and apply AI and other modern technology to scan, detect and handle fake, false or distorted information, and will train experts with political resolve, professional skill and command of technology, he said.
What is not yet clear
The paper did not specify new laws, penalties, platform obligations or a timeline, and it did not say what criteria would be used to judge content as “deviant” or “false”. The remarks were presented as a proposal and policy direction rather than as a regulation.
Source: Vietnamese-language report on the minister’s paper at the Oct 10 conference.
