A printed edition of The Economist magazine with Vietnam’s Communist Party General Secretary To Lam on the front cover has been blocked from distribution in the country, in the latest sign of the government’s tightening control over the media.
The cover of the May 24 issue of The Economist.
Bloomberg News spoke to three newspaper and magazine distributors, with two saying they could not get hold of copies, and a third saying the May 24 issue has been officially blocked in Vietnam. They asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the ban, which was earlier reported by Reuters.
The Economist edition depicts To Lam with yellow stars on his eyes against a red backdrop under the heading: “The man with a plan for Vietnam.” The article, which describes the party chief as a “hard man” and “Asia’s least likely, but most consequential, reformer,” was still available online in the country on Thursday afternoon.
Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry said it had “no information” on the issue in an emailed statement. The Economist did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Vietnam’s government has “intensified its crackdown on dissent to punish people simply for raising concerns or complaints about government policies or local officials,” Human Rights Watch said in an April 21 report.
Unlike China, people in Vietnam have access to the world’s most popular news and social media platforms, including Facebook and X. Still, Vietnam’s one-party government jails citizens who disseminate what is viewed as anti-state or anti-party content.
The authorities last week took steps to block the Telegram messaging app for allegedly failing to prevent illegal content and anti-government activities by users. Telegram said it was surprised by the move.
Vietnam ranks 173rd out of 180 countries and territories in the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index, which assesses the level of freedom available to journalists.
The cover of the May 24 issue of The Economist.
Bloomberg News spoke to three newspaper and magazine distributors, with two saying they could not get hold of copies, and a third saying the May 24 issue has been officially blocked in Vietnam. They asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the ban, which was earlier reported by Reuters.
The Economist edition depicts To Lam with yellow stars on his eyes against a red backdrop under the heading: “The man with a plan for Vietnam.” The article, which describes the party chief as a “hard man” and “Asia’s least likely, but most consequential, reformer,” was still available online in the country on Thursday afternoon.
Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry said it had “no information” on the issue in an emailed statement. The Economist did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Vietnam’s government has “intensified its crackdown on dissent to punish people simply for raising concerns or complaints about government policies or local officials,” Human Rights Watch said in an April 21 report.
Unlike China, people in Vietnam have access to the world’s most popular news and social media platforms, including Facebook and X. Still, Vietnam’s one-party government jails citizens who disseminate what is viewed as anti-state or anti-party content.
The authorities last week took steps to block the Telegram messaging app for allegedly failing to prevent illegal content and anti-government activities by users. Telegram said it was surprised by the move.
Vietnam ranks 173rd out of 180 countries and territories in the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index, which assesses the level of freedom available to journalists.
