Many Vietnamese Youth Trust Big Brother to Monitor the

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000090 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM EINT PGOV SOCI VM SUBJECT: Many Vietnamese Youth Trust Big Brother to Monitor the Internet REF: A: STATE 4203; B: 09 HANOI 909 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: During a wide-ranging discussion at the American Center in Hanoi following the airing of the Secretary's speech on internet freedom (Ref A) several participants parroted the Party line that the internet could be used to spread information that is harmful to Vietnamese society and should therefore be blocked. Others, however, offered a contrary view, complaining that there is no true freedom of speech in Vietnam. A similar range of views were expressed on the broader topic of the media, with some participants supporting some degree of government censorship in the name of social order and others voicing frustration at the lack of press freedom. Most participants agreed that censorship of social networking and foreign news sites is wrong and expressed disbelief that the government would read their private e-mail correspondence. "The line between freedom and censorship is always moving in Vietnam," one participant noted. Most participants said they had access to high-speed internet at home and spend an average of 3-5 hours a day online. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) On Friday January 22, approximately 40 Vietnamese young people (ranging between the ages 20-30) gathered at the American Center in Hanoi to watch clips from the Secretary's speech on Internet Freedom and discuss how the topic related specifically to Vietnam. After showing about 30 minutes of the speech, including a number of segments critical of Vietnam, the Embassy's Human Rights Officer led a discussion about the role of the internet in the lives of Vietnamese youth and what involvement -- if any -- the government should have in monitoring and censoring its content. ¶3. (SBU) Expecting the audience to be reserved and hesitant to comment on such a sensitive topic, Poloff began with a series of questions relating to internet access and common web activities. Most of the audience said that they have high-speed ADSL connections in their homes. Those who don't rely on internet cafes and their college campuses to go online. The majority of the audience said they have g-mail or yahoo e-mail addresses and spend an average of three to five hours a day online chatting with friends, e-mailing, gaming, catching up on pop culture, and blogging. ¶3. (SBU) Participants offered various opinions as to why Facebook remained blocked in Vietnam (Ref B). Some blamed "technical difficulties," while others acknowledged that the government was likely the source of the problem. All participants expressed dissatisfaction with the current situation, and noted that they use work-arounds to maintain their Facebook pages. The participants were nearly unanimous that they would not to convert from Facebook to locally hosted social networking tools like zing.com; many laughed at the prospect. (Note: At the start of the event, there was a small celebration to commemorate the American Center's Facebook page exceeding the mark of 1,000 fans in just over a month's time. The speed of reaching 1,000 fans is notable given that the Facebook homepage has remained blocked in Vietnam throughout this time period. End Note.) ¶4. (SBU) There was a long pause when Poloff asked what type of content should be allowed on the internet. Eventually a young man asserted that politically sensitive content and pornography should be censored, arguing that it is permissible to oppose GVN policies but not specific policymakers. Another participant added that the GVN does not have hard and fast rules on internet censorship, but that every citizen should recognize the impact their online comments could have and should therefore be "constructive." HANOI 00000090 002 OF 002 ¶5. (SBU) Another young man offered a dissenting opinion, however, arguing that because the government controls all forms of media, Vietnam's citizens don't have the chance to raise their voices. "I am very frustrated," he continued, lamenting that "We are all missing out on good opportunities." He specifically asked what the U.S. Embassy could do to "improve the situation." Poloff noted the Department organizes public discussion sessions and also works behind the scenes in meetings such as the annual Human Rights Dialogue with Vietnam to raise its concerns related to free speech. A third young participant countered that most Vietnamese are easy going and very satisfied with life as provided by the government, which ranks as one of the highest in the world. Vietnam's government, he insisted -- becoming less laid back -- does not limit the voice of its people; rather, some people "abuse their rights" and are threats to the government that the government is correct to suppress. Still another participant cautioned that "chaos" would ensue if people were allowed to openly criticize the government. "Change should happen slowly," he averred, adding that freedom of speech should be "restricted sometimes." Another individual commented that the line between censorship and internet freedom is not fixed, insisting with disapproval that it is "OK in the U.S. to slander another person and post pornography on the internet." ¶6. (SBU) Poloff pushed the participants on this point, asking whether it was permissible to voice opposition to GVN economic policies and whether the government should be allowed to read personal e-mail or text messages. Most bristled at the idea of the Government blocking news sites and blogs that do not comment on political news and reading their private messages. Many expressed shock when Poloff said that the Government of China routinely blocks internet sites such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and the New York Times. Most participants said that Vietnam should not follow China's example. Poloff shared the story of leading dissident Dr. Pham Hong Son, who was jailed from 2002 - 2006 for translating and posting online a State Department pamphlet entitled "What is Democracy" from the Embassy's homepage. Most participants said they had not heard of Dr. Son, and expressed disbelief that he would imprisoned for such an activity. ¶7. (SBU) Comment: The fact that such a wide-ranging discussion occurred, following the airing of a speech at times critical of the GVN's actions, is notable in itself. While participants articulated a variety of opinions, all said that they depend on the internet to remain in touch with the larger world. While several vocal participants proclaimed that they had no problem with the government censoring political content, most expressed apprehension when confronted with more specific questions about the government's role in censoring news media and personal blogging and rejected as illegitimate the notion that security services could be reading their own e-mails. Most participants acknowledged the importance of a free media in fighting corruption and environmental degradation. Of the quarter of the participants that offered views, the group appeared evenly divided between those who supported the Secretary's message and those that argued in defense of Vietnam's position. To conclude the event, PAS Officer noted that the attendees had just participated in the exercise of free speech and hoped that they would see the benefit of this type of open exchange. Michalak