This is not the first time RSF has made unobjective assessments of Viet Nam, but the repeated recycling of old information in these reports reveals an approach that is imposing, prejudiced, and one-sided, while lacking respect for differences in political systems, history, and culture among nations.
Observing RSF’s assessment methodology over the years shows that the organisation mainly relies on one-sided surveys, collecting opinions from certain groups, individuals, and organisations that already hold political bias against Viet Nam.
Many parts of the reports are built on secondary information sources that lack independent verification, and in some cases even reuse inaccurate information from reactionary exile organisations. Therefore, rather than truthfully reflecting the media environment, RSF’s rankings increasingly show signs of becoming a tool for imposing Western political viewpoints on other countries.
Notably, RSF often deliberately conflates “press freedom” with violations of the law. In its 2026 report, the organisation once again referred to several individuals opposing the state, spreading distortions and calling for demonstrations to cause social instability as “independent journalists”.
Such labelling lacks legal basis and is dangerous because it intentionally blurs the line between freedom of expression and the abuse of freedom to infringe upon national interests and the lawful rights and interests of other organisations and individuals.
No country in the world accepts the use of “press freedom” as a pretext to incite riots, promote subversion, or threaten national security.
In fact, no country in the world accepts the use of “press freedom” as a pretext to incite riots, promote subversion, or threaten national security. Even in the US and many Western countries, laws on counterterrorism, protection of national secrets, and control of online misinformation are enforced very strictly.
RSF’s own report this year also acknowledged that the media environment in many Western countries is facing numerous pressures, including cuts in media funding, restrictions on access to information, increasing violence against journalists, and the growing dominance of technology conglomerates and media tycoons.
However, when Western countries apply management measures, RSF describes them as “necessary adjustments”; when Viet Nam enforces its laws, the organisation immediately labels it “suppression of press freedom”. Such double standards increasingly call into question the objectivity of RSF’s reports.
The irrationality also lies in the very frame of reference RSF uses. The organisation automatically treats the Western-style multi-party private press model as the sole standard of press freedom, thereby dismissing other press models suited to the historical conditions and political institutions of each country.
In reality, however, journalism has never existed outside a specific socio-political environment. Western media also operates within the orbit of media conglomerates’ interests and Western political values. Therefore, the so-called “absolute press freedom” has never existed in the way some Western organisations often claim.
Contrary to the distorted picture portrayed by RSF, the reality of journalism in Viet Nam in recent years has shown a vibrant, open, and increasingly professional media landscape.
Following restructuring and streamlining under Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW (dated October 25, 2017) of the 12th Party Central Committee on “certain issues on continuing to reform and streamline the organisational apparatus of the political system for effective and efficient operations”, as of the end of 2025, the country has 778 press agencies and nearly 21,000 licensed journalists working across print, electronic, and broadcast media.
Many press agencies have adopted integrated newspaper-radio-television models, streamlined their apparatuses, and improved communication effectiveness. Numerous journalists have been supported by the state to participate in training, exchanges, and reporting activities in many countries around the world. For international media agencies operating and reporting in Viet Nam, the Party and the State of Viet Nam have consistently created favourable conditions, with no technological or legal barriers.
The Vietnamese press has actively participated in social criticism, anti-corruption efforts, policy implementation supervision, and the protection of the lawful rights and interests of the people. During the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands of journalists were present at outbreak hotspots, field hospitals, and quarantine facilities to deliver accurate information, combat fake news, and spread the spirit of community solidarity. During natural disasters and floods, reporters have always been on the front lines, promptly reflecting people’s lives and actively participating in relief activities. These are the images of a humane press, closely connected with the rights and interests of the nation and its people.
At the same time, many major negative cases have been uncovered by the press. Issues such as unsafe food, high-tech fraud, land-related violations, environmental pollution, school violence, and shortcomings in public management have all been openly and frankly brought before the public. Following press coverage, many cases have been seriously handled by competent authorities.
In Viet Nam, freedom of the press is clearly stipulated in the 2013 Constitution and concretised through the 2016 Press Law and many related legal documents. There is absolutely no such thing as a “suppressed” press environment as extremist elements have sought to portray.
In Viet Nam, freedom of the press is clearly stipulated in the 2013 Constitution and concretised through the 2016 Press Law and many related legal documents. There is absolutely no such thing as a “suppressed” press environment as extremist elements have sought to portray.
The unobjective reports of RSF are being exploited by some hostile and reactionary organisations as tools to distort the situation of democracy and human rights in Viet Nam, exert pressure in international relations and create misleading perceptions among foreign public opinion. When inaccurate information is repeated many times, it can easily create the illusion of an “obvious truth”, even if the reality is entirely different.
In recent years, digital transformation in Viet Nam’s press sector has accelerated strongly, creating momentum for journalism activities to become increasingly practical and effective. Many media agencies are applying artificial intelligence, big data, and multi-platform approaches to broaden public reach. National journalism forums, major press awards, and international training programmes for journalists are held on a regular basis, helping to improve professionalism and the competitiveness of Vietnamese journalism in the global digital media environment.
Of course, like any press system in the world, Vietnamese journalism still has issues that need further improvement, such as enhancing the quality of social criticism, combating fake news, protecting digital copyrights, adapting to multi-platform media, and strengthening professional ethics. However, these are internal development requirements of Viet Nam’s revolutionary press and are entirely different from politically motivated accusations from outside.
Most importantly, the truth does not lie in prejudiced rankings, but in verification through reality. Tens of millions of Vietnamese people access journalism every day through newspapers, radio, television, electronic media, and press information shared on social networks. Public trust in mainstream media, together with the pioneering role and social responsibility of the press, is the most vivid evidence of the effectiveness, efficiency, and enduring vitality of Viet Nam's revolutionary press.
