bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

One of Vietnam’s largest state TV broadcasters went off air on Wednesday as part of sweeping bureaucratic reforms that will see 20 per cent of the public workforce cut across the country.
The ruling Communist Party wants to streamline the political system to reduce red tape and slash spending.
The reforms will see eight ministries and government agencies cut and a host of media organisations radically restructured in reforms described as “a revolution” by senior officials.
On Wednesday, VTC – Vietnam’s second-most popular TV station – went off air, with its 13 channels broadcasting for the final time on Tuesday. It is unclear what will happen to VTC’s 800 employees.
In a farewell message, VTC hosts said that the station had “come to the end of its 20-year mission to serve the community and society”.
Together with VTC, another four broadcasters – VOVTV, VNATV, Quoc Hoi TV and Nhan Dan TV – have been forced to close.

Meanwhile VTV, the country’s largest and most viewed broadcaster, has been assigned to “take on the function and tasks” of these stations, the government said.
All media in Vietnam is controlled to varying degrees by the state, with no independent domestic media agencies allowed.
The reforms, which are expected to get the final nod of approval by parliament in February, will see the number of government ministries reduced from 30 to 22. The civil service, police, the military and various state-owned organisations will all face cuts.
Minister of Internal Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra said the reforms were “a revolution not only to streamline the apparatus but also to change mindsets, vision and awareness towards a better future”, according to state media.
The cuts come five months after To Lam became Vietnam’s most powerful leader, following the death of his predecessor.


Riding Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh Highway: a motorcycle odyssey along twisty, perilous mountain roads

How Trump could upend South China Sea calculations all round

Malaysia calls for Myanmar truce as Asean pushes for peace, as bloc seeks South China Sea code

Indonesia seeks a Chinese solar boom in the shadow of US tariffs

Vietnam

Vietnam axes second most popular TV broadcaster after 20 years

A fruit vendor waits for customers in front of the VTC office building in Hanoi on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Men transport boxes of equipment being removed from the VTC office building in Hanoi on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

China and Vietnam tighten ties in a ‘3+3’ strategic pivot

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son in Beijing on December 10. Photo: Xinhua

Officials from the Communist Party of China meet with their Vietnamese counterparts in Beijing earlier this month. Photo: Xinhua

Ukrainians hold orange flags during celebrations in Kiev marking the first anniversary of the “Orange Revolution” in November 2005. Photo: EPA-EFE

Chinese sailors wave to their Vietnamese counterparts during a two-day joint naval patrol between the two countries on December 4. Photo: Xinhua

A Vietnamese security official points at the mountainous border dividing Vietnam and China. Vietnam is the only Southeast Asian nation to share a land and sea border with China. Photo: AFP

Vietnam’s private banking sector has a ‘chronic disease’. Can it be treated?

Vietnamese property tycoon Truong My Lan attends her trial at the People’s High Court of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on December 3. Photo: EPA-EFE

People go past the State Bank building, near the offices of Vietcombank and the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam, in central Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: Reuters

From ‘Chubby Bear’ to censorship, Vietnam’s approach to TikTok reveals double standards

A man in Hanoi looks at TikTok content on his smartphone in October 2023. Photo: AFP

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has been affectionately referred to as “Gau U” (“Chubby Bear”) on TikTok. Photo: EPA-EFE

There are about 68 million TikTok users in Vietnam. Photo: AFP

A man uses his smartphone as he sits on a pavement in Ho Chi Minh City in December. Photo: AFP

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

State-owned VTC went off the air on Wednesday as part of a radical restructuring of media organisations by the ruling Communist Party


State-owned VTC went off the air on Wednesday as part of a radical restructuring of media organisations by the ruling Communist Party.
