The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected accusations by U.S.-based Freedom House that Vietnam lacks Internet freedom.

The U.S.-funded organization said in a report released on November 5 that Vietnam was categorized as a “not free” country in terms of freedom on the Internet. 

Vietnam dismisses “these allegations by Freedom House,” Ngo Toan Thang, deputy spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters in a regular press briefing in Hanoi on Thursday.

“Vietnam’s consistent policy is assuring freedom of speech and the right to access information, which is stipulated in the Constitution, Vietnamese law, and fully exercised in reality,” Thang underlined.

Vietnam always promotes Internet development in order to spur national growth and meet the people’s demand for information exchange, studies, and work, he added.

The Southeast Asian country now has 60 million Internet subscribers, ranking 16th globally, with approximately 55 million social media users.

“Over the past 20 years, Vietnam has integrated with the international community and garnered many great achievements,” the diplomat said.

“The Internet has become an important and indispensable connecting tool in Vietnamese people’s daily life.

“More and more people have got access to the Internet thanks to its low cost compared to other regional countries.

“In reality, Vietnam is one of the nations that have the fastest Internet growth rate in the world.”

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