Vietnam is determined to strictly punish people who deliberately spread fake news about respiratory epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus (nCoV).

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung. Photo: Tuoi Tre

In a directive on epidemic prevention signed by Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung, local authorities need to ensure cybersecurity, enhance supervision, and punish anyone who produces fake claims.

The minister’s guidance aims to prevent fabricated news on the epidemic that might cause public confusion.

In a related move, police in the northern provinces of Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen, and Vinh Phuc fined six Facebook users VND12.5 million (US$543) each for posting fake news on nCoV.

At the end of last month, Ho Chi Minh City's Department of Information and Communications asked three famous artists namely Dam Vinh Hung, Ngo Thanh Van, and Cat Phuong to explain the information on the nCoV that they posted on their Facebook sites and fanpages.

Earlier, the artists posted new on the epidemic which is totally untrue.

Under the Cybersecurity Law, the government’s Decree, and the Penal Code, anyone who disseminates fake information would be fined between VND10 million (US$434) and VND30 million. The violators would be held behind bars in some cases, the Thanh Nien quoted Ho Chi Minh City-based lawyer Nguyen Hai Nam as saying.

In another move, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung has asked telecoms companies to launch hashtag #ICT_anti_nCoV to contribute to the national efforts on controlling the epidemic.