HANOI – Foreign pay television service suppliers have earned thousands of billions of Vietnamese dong in the local market, but have failed to comply with Vietnam’s laws, so the Government is amending the legal corridor to govern these foreign services, stated Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung.
Speaking at the question and answer session of the 10th sitting of the 14th National Assembly on November 10, Hung said the Ministry of Information and Communications had completed a draft decree governing these foreign cross-border pay television channels and is submitting it to the Government for consideration.
Hung said that Vietnam is home to 35 local pay television service providers which have attracted some 14 million subscribers and earned some VND9 trillion per year.
Meanwhile, the total number of subscribers of foreign television channels, which are supplying their services in the country, has reached one million. Their revenue is estimated at some VND1 trillion per year.
Vietnamese firms must strictly comply with all relevant regulations related to content and licensing and fulfill their tax responsibilities. However, some foreign pay cross-border TV service suppliers are not paying taxes and have failed to follow Vietnam’s laws. This is an unfair competition, Hung said.
Netflix videos contain content that violate Vietnamese laws, including distorting facts about sovereignty, drug use, pornography and violence, he said.
By Van Ly
