Safeguarding Children Online in Vietnam

My children were being loud in the restaurant.

My daughter pushed my son. My son pushed back harder.

We were on the brink of a complete meltdown.

The other diners looked up from their bowls, judging my family.

I knew what would work. I pulled out the phone. I opened YouTube Kids. The kids went quiet.

Crisis averted.

Sound familiar?

In Vietnam, we parents choose this peace a hundred times a day. None of us know what it costs.

And Vietnamese children, like those worldwide, are growing up in a digital landscape full of both opportunities and dangers.

And while the internet provides educational tools and entertainment, it’s also exposing children to serious cyber risks, including online exploitation, cyberbullying, and privacy breaches.

With 87% of Vietnamese children accessing the internet daily - and the vast majority accessing it through smartphones, it is important that families and schools take these threats seriously.

Vietnam has taken significant steps to protect children online, recognizing the urgent need to regulate digital spaces.

The Code of Conduct for Protecting Children in the Online Environment, introduced by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), establishes guidelines for safe digital interaction.

This code targets five groups: parents and teachers, general internet users, media organizations, platform operators, and children themselves.

The goal of this code is to create a safer, more responsible digital environment by encouraging positive online behavior, strengthening privacy protections, and increasing reporting of harmful content.

But unsurprisingly, enforcement remains a challenge.

Awareness is low, and more effective messaging is required to reach families, schools, and technology providers in a way that makes an impact.

Every online action leaves a trace. A comment, a shared image, or a social media post contributes to a child’s digital reputation, potentially affecting future education and job opportunities.

Yet, many Vietnamese children and caregivers underestimate online risks. Only 33% of children ranked talking to online strangers as “very risky”, compared to 52% of caregivers.

Parents and teachers must educate children on responsible sharing and the concept of a “digital tattoo”, the idea that what is posted online can be permanent. Teaching children to pause and think before posting can help them protect their privacy and future.

Exposure to sexual content is common. 14% of internet-using children in Vietnam reported seeing it intentionally, and 23% came across it by accident.

Meanwhile, 1% of internet users aged 12-17 in Vietnam, an estimated 94,000 children, were victims of online sexual exploitation in the past year.

The risk is real, yet under-reporting remains a significant barrier due to cultural stigma and the lack of clear reporting mechanisms.

The Disrupting Harm in Viet Nam report highlights additional concerns:

• 0.5% of surveyed children had sexual images of them shared without permission.
• 2% of 15-17-year-olds had accepted money or gifts in return for sexual images or videos.
• 1.9% of children received unwanted requests to talk about sex or sexual acts.

These numbers point to a disturbing trend: online grooming is evolving, and children need to be equipped with the skills to recognize manipulative behavior and seek help.

While Vietnam has made strides with legal frameworks such as the Law on Children and Decree 147/2024/ND-CP, gaps still exist:

• The law lacks clear definitions for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and online grooming, leading to enforcement challenges.
• Victim reporting remains low due to fear of stigma and unclear support services.
• Law enforcement units handling child exploitation cases lack specialized training and dedicated resources.

The rules on platforms and parents have tightened since. Decree 147/2024/ND-CP, in force since December 2024, requires social media accounts to be verified with a Vietnamese phone number. Accounts for children under 16 must be registered with a parent's or guardian's details, and that parent is responsible for supervising what the child sees, posts and shares. Online games must limit under-18s to 60 minutes per session and 180 minutes a day. The Law on Cybersecurity 2025, in force since 1 July 2026, extends parental registration to other online services and requires providers to filter content that harms or exploits children.

Despite these challenges, Vietnam is actively working towards a safer digital space.

Evidence of this can be found by looking at the Programme on Protecting and Supporting Children in the Digital Environment for 2026–2030, approved under Decision 468/QD-TTg with a target of cybersecurity measures in every school by 2030, and Vietnam's participation in ASEAN’s Regional Plan of Action for the Protection of Children from Online Exploitation and Abuse.

These are positive developments.

Parents play a crucial role in protecting their children online. However, research shows a disconnect between parental restrictions and children's online behavior.

Over 50% of children surveyed said they couldn’t go online when they wanted because caregivers restricted access, yet this does not always translate into increased safety.

Instead of strict bans, parents can:

• Educate children about digital risks and responsible online behavior.
• Use parental controls and monitor online activity without invading privacy.
• Encourage open conversations so children feel comfortable reporting any online concerns.

Vietnamese schools must incorporate online safety education into curriculums. While the Vietnamese Children’s Online Protection Club has been promoting awareness, more structured programs are needed. Schools should:

• Provide regular training for students and teachers.
• Teach critical thinking skills to help students identify misinformation and harmful content.
• Encourage safe online engagement, emphasizing the importance of privacy settings and reporting mechanisms.

I have run online safety workshops for more than 1,000 Vietnamese educators, as well as sessions for families and students.

Schools must address these risks with clear policies and community engagement.

With advancements in AI, new online threats are emerging. Deepfake technology, cyberflashing (sending explicit images via Bluetooth or Airdrop), and targeted scams are growing dangers for children in Vietnam.

The country must adopt more sophisticated cybersecurity measures and increase public awareness of these evolving risks.

Few things matter more than keeping children safe.

That moment of peace when your child is quietly occupied by a screen might feel like a win, but their safety must come first. This isn’t about extreme restrictions. It’s about awareness, education, and practical steps to protect them.

If you are worried about a child, call 111, Vietnam's national child protection hotline. It is free and open around the clock, and it takes reports of abuse, exploitation and trafficking.

This is why I co-founded ChildSafeguarding.Online, which provides child protection training and policy for international schools.