Blogging among Vietnamese youth on rise, but threat of crackdown looms

Within the past year, the online phenomenon of blogging has become immensely popular among Vietnamese teenagers as an alternative to state-run media, Agence France Presse reported Thursday.

According the to article: “Bloggers have fought wars over the cultural divide between Vietnam’s north and south, but they have also raised funds for the needy, arranged organ donations and given support to people suffering deadly diseases.”

Writing diaries has held a prominent place in Vietnamese history and the country’s youth culture is pushing this literary heritage to new levels.

The Vietnamese government has noticed the burgeoning trend. Both state and party officials have recently threatened fines and penalties for blogs that contain “black,” or pornographic, material or that post information against the government.

For the full article, click here.