The Hanoitimes - The Internet is developing strongly in Vietnam and the country always creates favourable conditions for Internet activities, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Nga. 

Spokesperson Nga made this statement while answering reporters’ questions o­n Vietnam’s response to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech at the George Washington University o­n February 15 o­n Internet freedom, mentioning Vietnam, at the ministry’s regular meeting in Hanoi o­n February 17. 

According to spokesperson Nga, by December 2010, the number of Internet users in Vietnam had reached nearly 26.8 million, accounting for 31.11% of the country’s population. More than 1.5 million had their own blogs. 

However, like other countries, all information o­n the Internet must abide by the law so that it does not affect the country’s customs, social morality, public order and national security, said the spokesperson. 

“In Vietnam, the freedom and democratic rights of all people, including freedom of information and speech, are clearly written in the constitution and law, and are assured to be carried out,” spokesperson Nga affirmed. 

In Vietnam, all citizens are protected by the law but at the same time they must respect the law, she said, adding that any person who violates the law would be treated justly under the legal regulations. 

“We believe that in relations among countries, every difference should be exchanged in a constructive
spirit of mutual respect and understanding, with no intervention in each other’s internal affairs,” spokesperson Nga stressed.