Cybersecurity Emergency Response Center established

As reliance on information technology becomes ever more pervasive in society, cybercrime has grown rapidly both in quantity and sophistication in Việt Nam

The trick the criminals deployed was looking for the accounts of bank customers who did not subscribe to internet banking services.

An old method but one still deployed by the criminals was pretending to be employees of lottery companies to cheat people.

Illegal gambling on the internet has also become more sophisticated in the country over the past few years.

Although the organisation of football betting is strictly prohibited, this kind of crime has increased in recent years.

Cyber criminals have often exploited several tricks including using social network sites to illegally appropriate other people’s property

The criminals might also hack social network accounts and then send messages to the users’ contact lists to borrow money, asking them to purchase phone cards with big denominations to illegally seize their property.

Facebook and Google to set up local offices in Vietnam, store all user data on citizens locally, agree to hand over any requested data to the state, and take down any content deemed by the ruling Communist Party to be “anti-state” within a period of 24 hours.

Vietnam’s new cyber-security law came into effect on 1 January, censoring what citizens can read online and placing strict controls on the operations of overseas tech companies within the country.

the law is necessary to fight cyber crime and prevent cyber terrorism, tackling “hostile and reactionary forces”.

the new cyber law brings Vietnam in line with other countries and that the law was “within the ability of business”.

However, the law also bans internet users in Vietnam from spreading information deemed to be anti-state or anti-government, or from using the internet to “post false information that could cause damage to socio-economic activities”.

in light of these restrictions, Vietnam’s government is seeking to establish a global reputation for the country as a south-east Asian hub for financial technology (fintech).

the new law will only serve to hurt Vietnam’s economic prospects and that it is likely to make overseas tech firms and start-ups think long and hard about relocating to the area, particularly in view of the data-sharing demands that the authorities are now making.

Cyber crime has become complicated in recent years, especially online gambling and football betting, causing an outflow of foreign currencies

Notably, many foreigners were found to take advantage of travelling to Vietnam as tourists to commit crimes.

ministries, departments and agencies to refine legal regulations, enforce the Law on Cyber Security, improve State management efficiency and strictly deal with cyber crimes.

Authorities were also assigned to adopt technical measures to prevent the spread of law violation and fraudulent information online.

Foreigners must also enhance inspection and control over the sale of the national domain “.vn”, the granting of licenses to social media and websites with domestic domains, strictly fine owners of violating websites, and enhance the use of modern technology to ensure cyber information security and safety.

Vietnam will declare a national digital strategy this year to set up a digital economy and society