Vietnam Imposes New Blogging Restrictions

GMAW is one of many to mention that the Vietnam government has approved a new set of regulations aimed at bloggers. The new restrictions ban bloggers from discussing certain subjects that the government deems sensitive or inappropriate. Not only are the topics limited, but bloggers are being directed to only write about issues that directly impact their personal lives. "The rules, which were approved Dec. 18, attempt to rein in Vietnam's booming blogosphere. It has become an alternative source of news for many in the communist country, where the media is state-controlled. The new rules require Internet companies that provide blogging platforms to report to the government every six months and provide information about bloggers on request."

Comments

Re:Communist?

[Hao Wu]

Vietnam is communism in name only (not even that since it calls itself socialist). Since 1986 Vietnam is, like China today, just yet-another undemocratic country. Communism is mostly an economic concept, and the Vietnamese economy has largely shifted to a free market system.

Where ever it fails - killing millions and/or placing the vast majority of people into abject poverty - a good communist says that "real" communism doesn't really exist there, and has never truly been tried.

Or they just say that YOU have never existed and then try to erase your history. The concept was never a bad idea, however, and certainly not worth resisting or warring against...