Vietnam is rapidly establishing itself as a key player in the digital arena, ranking 45th out of 133 globally in the Network Readiness Index. The country exhibits robust digital connectivity, with 79.1% internet penetration. In addition, Vietnamese citizens demonstrate significant digital engagement, spending an average of 2 hours and 25 minutes online daily, supported by 72.7 million active social media users.
Despite this progress, Vietnam faced significant challenges in 2023 within its digital threat landscape. The country reported 16,000 scam cases resulting in financial losses amounting to approximately USD 420 million. Cybersecurity incidents were also notable, with 13,900 reported cyberattacks.
As part of a regional initiative on scam resilience, the Tech for Good Institute, convened a multi-sectoral virtual roundtable with stakeholders from Vietnam. The session brought together voices from government, financial institutions, civil society, and digital platforms to explore collaborative strategies to strengthen public awareness, enhance enforcement response, and safeguard the country’s digital future against rising cyber threats.
Participants
- Loan Luong, Director of Programs, Pacific Links Foundation
- Duy Dang Pham, Interim Associate Head of Department, RMIT University
- Dr. Binh Nguyen, Cybersecurity Expert, FPT Information System
- Dr. Nguyen Minh Thao, Head, Dept of Science, Technology and Innovation, Institute for Policy and Strategy, Central Committee for Policy and Strategy
- Nguyen Lan Phuong, Digital Policy Regulatory Lead, Institute for Policy Studies and Media Development (IPS)
- Hoang Thi Hai Yen, Researcher, Dept of Science, Technology and Innovation, Institute for Policy and Strategy, Central Committee for Policy and Strategy
- Dr. Trieu Thanh Quang, Head of Strategy and Policy, Institute of Regional and Sustainable Development (IRSD), Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences
- Dr. Nguyen Quoc Viet, Senior Research Scientist, Vietnam National University, Faculty of Economics and Business
- Nguyen Thi Kim Chi, Researcher, Dept of Science, Technology and Innovation, Institute for Policy and Strategy, Central Committee for Policy and Strategy
Key Takeaways:
1. Leverage Social Media Platforms to Raise Scam Awareness
Vietnam’s impressive digital landscape, with over 72 million active social media users, offers a significant opportunity to disseminate targeted anti-scam messaging to the public. Workshop participants strongly advocated for platforms such as Zalo, TikTok and Facebook to form the cornerstone of any national awareness campaign, given their widespread adoption across all demographic groups. They suggested collaborating with content creators and influencers to convey anti-scam messages in formats that particularly appeal to younger audiences and difficult-to-reach communities. Engaging approaches such as gamified content, relatable short videos, live question-and-answer sessions and meme-based campaigns were highlighted as effective means to enhance awareness and participation. The importance of localised campaigns that address linguistic and cultural nuances was emphasised to ensure effective message delivery in both rural and urban environments. Interactive features including polls, quizzes and live scenario-based simulations were recommended to develop real-time scam detection skills amongst users. Participants also stressed the value of cross-promotion with government bodies and financial institutions to create unified messaging and bolster credibility. Beyond education, community engagement through social media was identified as a powerful tool for empowering users to report and share their experiences with scams, thereby fostering a collective vigilance. This digital-first strategy should be complemented by traditional education programmes and offline community outreach initiatives to achieve maximum impact.
2. Deploy Scam Drills as a ‘Vaccine’ Against Fraud
Stakeholders strongly endorsed the implementation of scam drills, controlled simulations that expose individuals to fictitious scam scenarios within a safe, educational environment. These practical exercises enable participants to experience deception firsthand, helping them develop “digital reflexes” and enhance their resilience against manipulative tactics. The consensus amongst participants was that government agencies, particularly those involved in public education and digital safety initiatives, should spearhead this effort, collaborating closely with civil society organisations and educational institutions. These entities are ideally positioned to design age-appropriate and culturally relevant scenarios, facilitate nationwide implementation through schools, universities and community centres, and integrate these drills into formal education programmes and public awareness campaigns. It was further suggested that digital platforms and financial technology companies could support this initiative by incorporating interactive scam scenarios into their applications and customer engagement tools, especially during user onboarding processes or public safety promotions. This simulation-based approach, characterised as a “scam vaccine”, is envisaged not merely as a defensive mechanism but also as a behavioural nudge that raises awareness in a compelling and memorable manner.
3. Scale Proven Anti-Scam Solutions through Multi-Sector Partnerships
Vietnam currently benefits from effective civil society led initiatives such as ChongLuaDao, a non-profit platform that has gained significant traction for its capabilities in combating scam. This platform empowers the public to report suspicious activities, support community based verification, facilitates threat intelligence sharing and leads awareness campaigns that enhance digital safety. Participants in the discussion emphasised that these grassroots innovations should not remain isolated but should instead be scaled through structured cooperation involving the civil sector, government, private sector and digital platforms. Government agencies could play a crucial role by encouraging citizens to report scams, with collected data seamlessly integrated into ChongLuaDao‘s or similar platforms’ databases. This collaboration would strengthen national scam intelligence whilst enabling civil society organisations to respond more swiftly and effectively. The private sector, particularly financial technology companies and telecommunications providers, could contribute by investing in artificial intelligence based detection tools and integrating scam alerts into user interfaces. Digital platforms, given their widespread presence in Vietnam, should be leveraged to amplify anti scam content and campaign materials. They can encourage peer to peer sharing of verified alerts and prevention strategies, while also promoting public reporting mechanisms. This collective effort would enhance early detection capabilities and foster a more resilient community against online fraud. To achieve systemic impact, Vietnam must develop formal partnerships between non profit organisations like ChongLuaDao, technology firms and regulatory bodies. These partnerships should aim to scale effective solutions, address gaps in reporting infrastructure and establish scam prevention as a shared responsibility across all sectors.
4. Advance International Cooperation at Bilateral, Multilateral, and Regional Levels
Participants emphasised the importance of leveraging ASEAN’s cybersecurity frameworks, particularly ASEAN CERT, to build a more unified and robust regional response against scams. This approach can facilitate intelligence sharing, best practice exchange and coordination during cross border scam incidents. The discussion also called for deeper bilateral partnerships, such as regulatory or enforcement cooperation between Vietnam and neighbouring countries or major digital markets. Multilateral engagement through forums or international organisations was identified as crucial for aligning approaches on enforcement, consumer protection and digital trust. Stakeholders further recommended adapting international best practices in public education, law enforcement capacity building and scam detection technologies. They suggested that drawing lessons from countries with mature digital ecosystems could help Vietnam accelerate the implementation of effective anti scam solutions.
