A Vietnamese app unexpectedly breaks through when Telegram is blocked in Vietnam

Telegram Officially Blocked in Vietnam: More than 68% of Channels Violate the Law

According to Official Dispatch No. 2312/CVT-CS issued by the Department of Telecommunications (Ministry of Information and Communications) on May 21, 2025, network operators in Vietnam are required to block access to Telegram and report the results before June 2, 2025.

The block took effect in late May 2025, but implementation has been uneven, with many users reporting that they were still able to access the app in the first few days after the order came into effect.

According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, of the more than 9,600 Telegram channels operating in Vietnam, up to 68% contain illegal content, including:

Financial fraud

Drug trafficking

Spread fake news, misinformation

Content that incites violence, even terrorism

In addition, Telegram does not have a representative office in Vietnam and does not coordinate to handle legal requests, making it difficult to remove harmful content and ensure national cybersecurity.

Blocking Telegram has a big impact on users in Vietnam, especially those who use this application to study, work in groups, manage communities or share large files thanks to its security features and support for groups of thousands of members.

Following the block, many users have turned to alternative platforms such as:

Zalo(popular in Vietnam)

WhatsApp, Viber, Messenger

Discord(popular among students and group work)

These apps are highly regarded for their stability, security, and support for many features that are equal to or better than Telegram in a clearer legal context.

Lotus Chat surprises, surpassing Messenger and Zalo on the App Store: Vietnamese rookie creates new waves

On the morning of May 28, the messaging app Lotus Chat unexpectedly rose to the top 3 in the Social Network category on the App Store, surpassing even giants like Messenger, Viber, Zalo or Threads. This is one of the few times a product “made in Vietnam” can compete fairly on the “international playground”.

This breakthrough is not accidental. Lotus Chat is scoring strongly thanks to its focus on security, work utilities and personalized user experience, especially attracting Gen Z and office workers.

The application allows:

Use an alias when chatting in groups to avoid revealing your identity.

Block spam, hide personal information, block unwanted calls

Private Group with many control modes: hide members, block screenshots, automatically delete messages

Store documents, remind lunar and solar calendars, pin group content, serve flexible work

Voice sticker feature, avatar change, anniversary reminder, creating closeness and personalization

Google Trends recorded that “Lotus Chat web” “download Lotus chat” is a keyword that is growing explosively, even surpassing WhatsApp and Signal at some points.

As users become increasingly concerned about privacy and convenience, Lotus Chat is opening a new race, challenging the long-standing dominance of foreign applications.