HCMC Shutters Major Newspapers, Readers Mourn Lost Archives

 

 

by Hoàng Nam

The Vietnamese |  25 June 2026

A media restructuring plan in Hồ Chí Minh City has forced the closure of several prominent, decades-old newspapers.

The Latest: On June 25, several newspapers in Hồ Chí Minh City published their final print editions and appealed for readers’ support following the issuance of Decision No. 863 by the Hồ Chí Minh City Party Committee on June 9. 

• The decision establishes a new Press, Radio, and Television Agency that will merge Tuổi Trẻ—which will retain only its online edition—Sài Gòn Giải Phóng, and Hồ Chí Minh City Radio and Television.

The Details: Newspapers and magazines slated for dissolution must stop publishing their editions on June 30 and end all operations on Aug. 31. 

The city will dissolve eight publications in total: 

• Người Lao Động, Phụ nữ TP. Hồ Chí Minh, Pháp luật TP. Hồ Chí Minh, Hồ Chí Minh City Education Magazine, Hồ Chí Minh City Tourism Magazine, Saigon Entrepreneur Magazine, Saigon Economic Magazine, and Popular Science Magazine.

According to Decision No. 863, one of the key criteria for merging or dissolving newspapers is their “level of financial autonomy.” 

• The three outlets retained for the merger belong to financial autonomy group 1, meaning they can cover both regular expenses and investment costs on their own. 
• The eight publications forced to close are categorized under financial autonomy group 2.

Public Reaction: Since the news broke, journalists and readers have flooded social media with farewells and expressions of regret. 

• Trần Hải Yến, a reader of Saigon Economic Magazine, wrote: “I really do not understand. Founded on Jan. 4, 1991, after 35 years of operation, a reputable and high-quality economic magazine that does not use the state budget—The Saigon Economic Times […]—must stop publishing after June 25, 2026. Its online version […] will also be shut down. Under the press plan for Hồ Chí Minh City, starting July 1, 2026, the entire city will have only one print newspaper left: Sài Gòn Giải Phóng—a paper almost no one reads!!!” 
• Nguyễn Quyết, a journalist who previously worked for Người Lao Động, wrote: “I was just happy for the newspaper and happy for my colleagues, and then suddenly everyone had to say goodbye, all on the same day. It is truly unimaginable that this day has come.”
• Vũ Thùy Trang, a reporter for Người Lao Động, added emotionally: “This farewell does not bring me to tears […]. But being able to cry would at least make it easier to forget. Instead, it lingers, carrying so many layers of emotion that it leaves me bitter and speechless.”
• Lý Đợi, a journalist and contributor to Phụ nữ TP. Hồ Chí Minh, wrote: “A strong newspaper must naturally have staff who are skilled and devoted to the profession. I believe that these colleagues […] will be able to continue on a new path, practicing journalism through new methods and on a different platform.”

Beyond the immediate closures, readers expressed deep concern that important archives would disappear. 

• Bùi Phương Chi, a reader of Saigon Economic Magazine, wrote, “The final issue of one of Việt Nam’s most reputable economic newspapers. I know a foreign professor who bought it from its earliest issues and had each year’s editions bound into a volume for his personal library. His lectures on Việt Nam’s economy all drew on materials from The Saigon Economic Times. I have also used articles from this magazine to teach foreign students for more than 30 years.”
• Lương Thế Huy, another reader, wrote: “I worry about the situation because many reports and studies on the LGBT community have long depended on journalistic sources, and, by coincidence, the newspapers about to close are the ones that have covered the community positively over the past 10 years. They are where the history of changes and discussions about both community life and policy has been preserved.”

Others expressed a sense of mourning over the unrealized potential of some newspapers forced to close.

• Phúc Hoàng—a journalist—wrote, “Japan has the famous newspaper Nikkei, whose full name is Nihon Keizai Shinbun—the Japan Economic Newspaper—one of the most prestigious papers, now marking its 150th anniversary. For years, I had thought that The Saigon Economic Times would become Việt Nam’s Nikkei. But unfortunately, it will be lost—along with a rare newsroom culture and the dream of a broader future for one of Việt Nam’s most prestigious newspapers.”

Official Response: Under Decision No. 863, the Hồ Chí Minh City Party Committee acknowledged that the process would “affect the thoughts, feelings, and employment” of the subject journalists. 

• The committee also warned that “distorted and wrongful” information could emerge regarding the reorganization, freedom of speech, and press freedom. 
• Officials were ordered to “monitor, struggle against, and promptly and fully refute” such views while “doing effective ideological work among” journalists.

Notably, alongside the restructuring of the 11 publications, two religious newspapers—Giác Ngộ and Công giáo và Dân tộc—will be retained and “supported to maintain and improve operational effectiveness,” ensuring they receive budget subsidies. 

• It remains unclear why these two religious newspapers were granted an exception. 

Luật Khoa contacted the Hồ Chí Minh City Party Committee for clarification but received no response.

Why It Matters: Hồ Chí Minh City’s press restructuring is a major component of a broader Communist Party directive launched in 2019 to completely reorganize the state media system. 

• As of December 2025, Việt Nam had 137 press agencies, marking a reduction of 58 agencies since 2019. 
• Earlier, in February 2026, Hà Nội established the Hà Nội Press, Radio, and Television Agency, which merged six media outlets: Hà Nội Mới, Capital Women, Capital Labor, Economy and Urban Affairs, Capital Youth, and Hà Nội Radio and Television. 
• Subsequently, in March 2026, the Communist Party placed three major state media agencies—Vietnam Television, Voice of Vietnam, and Vietnam News Agency—under direct party control.

 

 

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