Internet Access and Openness: Vietnam 2013 June 2014 Back to top Page 1 of 158 Report Note This report is information compiled from the visit of a technology research delegation to Saigon and Hanoi in early May 2013. The qualitative, quantitative, and anecdotal information synthesized here was derived from a variety of sources, methods, and first-hand observations. While it is expected that the primary audience is technical, the report also provides relevant information for policymakers, civil society, and international investors. The effort to collect, distill, and develop this report was supported by Radio Free Asia’s Open Technology Fund in collaboration with technologists and researchers. License This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite 900, Mountain View, California, 94041, USA. 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Back to top Page 2 of 158 Table of Contents Executive Summary Section I : Internet Access Landscape Dominant Telecom Operators VNPT FPT Viettel Mobile Mobile Operators Coverage Cost 3 G Service and Mobile Devices SIM and Point of Sale Process Network Speeds Mobile Network Security Wireline ADSL Non - ADSL Section II : Infrastructure Landscape Backbone Critical Infrastructure Locations Major International Gateways Transit Costs IXPs and Interconnection Licensing and Ownership Section III : Regulatory Landscape Legal Landscape The Penal Code Policy Decisions and Decrees Infrastructure Freedom of Speech Section IV : Internet Freedom Digital Surveillance Methods of Surveillance Cyber Attacks Prosecution of Human Rights Activists Censorship Online Facebook Over - The - Top Mobile Apps Observing Network Interference Technical Summary of Censorship Observations Blocked Websites of Interest Censorship is Disruptive to Infrastructure Tampering with DNS is Bad Control vs . Growth : The ISP Balancing Act Similar Techniques in Other Countries Back to top Page 3 of 158 Circumvention and Anti - Censorship Methods Section V : Conclusion Key Findings Recommendations Appendix I - Censored Websites Appendix II - Mobile Shops Appendix III - VinaPhone Registration Form Appendix IV - Promotional Materials Appendix V - Mobile Phone Price List Appendix VI - Decree 72 Chapter I - General Provisions Chapter II - Management , Provision and Use of Internet Services , and Internet Resources Section 1 - Internet Services Section 2 - Internet Resources Chapter III - Management , Provision and Use of Online Information Section 1 - General Provisions Section 2 - Websites , Social Networks Section 3 - Provision of Information Content Services in Telecommunications Networks Chapter IV - Online Games Chapter V - Protection of Online Information Security and Safety Chapter VI - Implementation Provisions Back to top Page 4 of 158 Executive Summary Over the previous 15 years, Vietnam has successfully struck a path that placed the growth of the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) industries near the forefront of its economic priorities. This has resulted in a rapid improvement in ICT infrastructure and corresponding adoption of services. Vietnam has a reported 131.6 million mobile phone and almost 4.8 million broadband Internet users.1 While the mobile adoption is, by any account, impressive for a country of nearly 89 million people, a stark gap exists for those looking for Internet access. At present, nearly 40 percent of Vietnamese maintain an individual Internet connection with only 5 percent using a wireline connection.2 Recent years have seen the creation and growth of 3G networks to an extent where they now lack adequate capacity. However, with an average household income of approximately $130 per month, the devices necessary for home and/or mobile data subscriptions remain out of reach for the majority of the population.3 Approximately 70 percent of Vietnamese users have yet to migrate to a smartphone.4 Nonetheless, with rapidly declining costs, these figures have already begun to change. With more and more citizens moving online, Vietnam has increased its efforts to maintain control of information access and online speech. Having recently reaffirmed the “dominant political and economic role of the Communist Party,” the Vietnamese government has published an ever-expanding rubric of decrees, directives, and decisions focused on online information control.5 Chief among them is Decree 72, passed on July 15, 2013, which attempts to restrict the use of blogs and social media to “providing or exchanging personal information.” This prohibits the republication of non personal information including state-sponsored media content, bans any content opposing the government, and requires foreign Internet companies to maintain domestic servers (effectively placing them within the jurisdiction of the Vietnam government).6 1 Vietnam’s 2013 White Book on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). See e.g. American Chamber of Commerce - Vietnam, “Vietnam has 131.6 million mobile phones, 4.8 million broadband internet users,” Sept. 22, 2013, available at http :// www . amchamvietnam . com /30441872/ vietnam - has -131- 6- million - mobile - phones -4-8- million - broadband - internet - users / (“AmCham White Book”) 2 For 2012, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) estimated “the percentage of individuals using the Internet” to be 39.49 percent and “fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants” to be 4.90 percent in Vietnam. See International Telecommunications Union, “Statistics - Time Series By Country,” 2014, available at http :// www . itu . int / en / ITU - D / Statistics / Pages / stat / default . aspx . See also AmCham White Book. 3 See e.g. The World Bank, “GNI per capita, Atlas method (Current US$),” 2014, available at http :// data . worldbank . org / indicator / NY . GNP . PCAP . CD / countries / VN -4 E - XN ? display = graph . 4 K. Chi, “Affordable smart phones will be dominants in the market,” VietNamNet Bridge, Nov. 29, 2013, available at http :// english . vietnamnet . vn / fms / science - it /90244/ affordable - smart - phones - will - be - dominants - in - the - market . html . 5 See e.g. Chris Brummitt, “Vietnam reaffirms party role in new constitution,” Associated Press, Nov. 28, 2013, available at http :// bigstory . ap . org / article / vietnam - reaffirms - party - role - new - charter . Back to top Page 5 of 158 Despite the government’s multifaceted efforts to restrict online speech, the Vietnamese people have utilized their creativity to circumvent Internet censorship and access the content they want online. The government’s censorship has backfired and spurred a vast percentage of the online population to employ a variety of tactics to circumvent blocking. However, in the current chapter of Vietnam’s repression of free speech, the broad adoption of mobile phones has enabled the censors to implement increasingly pervasive surveillance efforts. Thus, a paradox has emerged. While a Vietnamese citizen has never had easier ways to access content across the globe, attempts by citizens to discuss or consider a more humane and democratic society through the free flow of information have been met by harsh crackdowns. In 2013 alone, more than sixty activists, many of whom were also bloggers, were arrested and countless more surveilled and harassed.7 By both expanding the economic benefits of Internet access and attempting to limit and control information publication and access, the Party is increasingly working at countervailing purposes. Current efforts have led to regulatory uncertainty for the ICT sector and a dangerous online environment for Vietnamese Internet users. With the majority of Vietnamese poised to gain connectivity, this report takes a snapshot of connectivity in Vietnam with a focus on the mobile environment. 6 See e.g. Phil Muncaster, “Vietnam crimps online freedom of speech with ‘Decree 72’,” The Register, Sept. 3, 2013, available at http :// www . theregister . co . uk /2013/09/03/ vietnam _ censorship _ law _ decree _72/ . 7 See e.g. AFP, “Vietnam activisit jailed for Facebook posts,” Oct. 29, 2013, available at http :// www . news 24. com / World / News / Vietnam - activist - jailed - for - Facebook - posts -20131029 . Back to top Page 6 of 158 Section I: Internet Access Landscape The Vietnamese government has made Internet access a key policy priority. This has led to goals being set to increase fiber to the premises such that 25 to 30 percent of the population will be connected via fiber by 2015, and that 95 percent of the population will have access to a “mobile broadband signal” by 2020.8 Dominant Telecom Operators VNPT, Viettel, and FPT are the largest Internet service providers (ISPs) in Vietnam. All are either government-owned, government-controlled, or retain close ties to the government such that the working relationship remains very close, and there is little effective difference between “owned” and “private.” VNPT, FPT, and Viettel have a variety of subsidiaries such as banks, manufacturing, education, and many others unrelated to ICT. While these enterprises are massive, and are controlled by and affiliated with the government, they are