The encrypted communication app Telegram, with its encryption and anonymous privacy features, has nearly 1 billion users globally but also faces regulatory challenges in multiple countries. The latest challenge occurs in Vietnam, where on May 21, 2025, the government issued an order requiring domestic telecommunications service providers to completely block Telegram, effectively making the platform non-compliant for use within the country.
Official Reason: Proliferation of Illegal Activities
According to a Reuters report, Vietnam's primary reason for blocking Telegram is that the "platform failed to comply with official requests to provide user data to help combat rampant criminal activities on the platform."
According to a report by the Ministry of Public Security, approximately 68% of the 9,600 Telegram channels and groups within Vietnam were found to be involved in illegal activities. These activities include fraud, drug trafficking, cases suspected of being related to terrorism, and numerous groups accused of spreading "anti-government documents".
The Ministry of Information and Communications has requested telecommunications companies to take necessary measures to block Telegram by June 2, 2025, at the latest, and report on the implementation.
Telegram Technical Characteristics and Global Regulatory Challenges
Telegram's technical features, such as end-to-end encryption, anonymous registration, ability to create large groups, open API interfaces, and message "Read n burn" quick deletion functions, have made privacy protection a tool exploited by some criminals.
The Vietnamese government explicitly stated that Telegram failed to comply with local legal requirements. Local laws require social media platforms to actively monitor, remove, and block illegal content and cooperate with law enforcement during criminal investigations.
In fact, this is not the first time Telegram has faced national blocking. In multiple countries globally, including Russia, Iran, and Spain, similar national security concerns and proliferation of illegal content have led to restrictions or even blocking of Telegram.
Vietnam's Data Protection New Regulations
The legal basis for Vietnam's blocking action primarily stems from Article 9 of the Telecommunications Law and Decree No. 147/2024. These regulations empower telecommunications operators to "block" services that threaten national security and public order.
This demonstrates that Vietnam is actively strengthening its domestic data regulatory framework and rapidly improving related laws, such as the 2024 Data Law, which will take effect on July 1, 2025, and for the first time establishes data ownership as a civil property right, setting clear legal obligations for data managers and service providers.
Additionally, Vietnam has strict controls on the cross-border transmission of "important data" or "core data". The draft Personal Data Protection Law expected to be passed in 2025, and the already effective Decree No. 13/2023/ND-CP, have expanded the scope of official network data supervision, particularly for foreign companies operating in Vietnam, requiring implementation of strict personal data processing consent mechanisms and cross-border transmission impact assessments.
In other words, data and messages transmitted online by foreign companies are very likely to be extensively accessed, reviewed, and stored by Vietnamese authorities when needed.
