Mass media in Vietnam

Mass media in Vietnam began to appear in the mid-1960s in Saigon, then under control of South Vietnam, with the establishment of Saigon Television Station. In 1970, North Vietnam, the Voice of Vietnam broadcast the first experimental television program. Beginning from the late 1970s, color television was introduced and broadcast experimentally. Today, television in Vietnam is available in many broadcasting formats, with many national and local channels, broadcast or pay-per-view with more than 200 channels available to viewers. The country began switching off all analog signals in major cities beginning August 2016, in 21 provinces on 30 June 2020, and extended it nationwide on 28 December, shutting down all remaining analog broadcasts.

Mass media in Vietnam is considered a type of journalism, managed under the Press Law of the Ministry of Information and Communications of Vietnam, according to which the law does not allow private businesses to own television stations, but "is allowed to associate in journalistic activities with other press agencies, legal entities, and individuals with business registrations that are appropriate to the field of association", allowing private units to cooperate with broadcasters operated by the Government of Vietnam, creating the policy of television socialization.

Television is currently one of the largest mass media channels in Vietnam, as surveys show that 8 out of 10 people watch television daily. However, television is being challenged by new forms of media, witnessing a decline in revenues as well as a shift in audiences to services such as video on demand or social networks on the Internet.