Vietnam, a Southeast Asian country with a population of over 100 million, is going to block access to Telegram for failing to cooperate with local authorities in addressing crimes committed on the messaging platform.
Block by Telecom Operators
Multiple local media outlets reported that the country’s Telecom Department, under the Ministry of Science and Technology, issued a document dated 21 May instructing telecommunications service providers to block Telegram. They must also report the implementation plan and results to the ministry by 2 June.
“Telegram is surprised by those statements,” a representative of the messaging platform told Reuters.
According to the document, the ministry acted on behalf of the country’s cybersecurity department. It stated that the action followed reports from local police, who found that 68 per cent of Telegram channels in Vietnam violated local laws by being involved in fraud, drug trafficking, and other illegal activities.
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Vietnamese authorities further revealed that more than 13,000 victims had been defrauded of over VND1 trillion (US$38 million) through scams conducted on Telegram. In addition, the personal data of 23 million people was reportedly sold illegally via the messaging app.
“We have responded to legal requests from Vietnam on time,” the Telegram representative added. “This morning, we received a formal notice from the Authority of Communications regarding a standard service notification procedure required under new telecom regulations. The deadline for the response is 27 May, and we are processing the request.”
People Are Losing Money on Telegram Scams
Earlier, FinanceMagnates.com reported on how clone scams are widespread on Telegram. A joint survey by FinanceMagnates.com and FXStreet also found that 60 per cent of financial instrument traders who fell victim to scams on Telegram lost money. Although regulators in the United Kingdom and Cyprus are aware of such scams on the platform, they admitted that stopping these activities is difficult.
Under Vietnamese regulations that came into effect on 1 January, internet-based telecom service providers must report violations that occur on their platforms. However, Vietnamese officials said that the messaging platform giant ignored several notices.
Last year, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France over illegal activities on his platform. He was later released and was finally allowed to leave France in March 2025.
Telegram has 1 billion monthly active users globally. Its encryption feature is one of the main reasons for its popularity. Although the exact number of Telegram users in Vietnam is unknown, Statista reported 17.55 million downloads of the Telegram app in Vietnam in 2023.
This article was written by Arnab Shome at www.financemagnates.com.
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