Skip to main content
AT MEDIA
VI

Published

Vietnam's Decree 147/2024: verifying social media accounts by phone number

Since 25 December 2024, social media accounts in Vietnam must be verified by phone number before posting or commenting. What the rule says and how to avoid scams.

Decree 147/2024/ND-CP on the management, provision and use of internet services and online information was issued by the Vietnamese Government on 9 November 2024 and took effect on 25 December 2024. Its best-known provision requires social media accounts to be verified with a Vietnamese mobile phone number. Here's what ordinary users need to know.

The key rules on account verification

According to the Government portal and the Ministry of Science and Technology:

  • Social networks must verify user accounts with a Vietnamese mobile number. For foreign cross-border platforms, this sits in Article 23(3)(e) and applies to platforms with more than 100,000 monthly visits from Vietnam.
  • Only when a user confirms they have no Vietnamese mobile number may the platform verify with a personal identification number instead.
  • Only verified accounts may post (write posts, comment, livestream) and share information.
  • Users doing commercial livestreams must verify with a personal identification number.
  • Platforms had 90 days from the effective date to verify active accounts, i.e. until around late March 2025.

Children under 16

For users under 16, a parent or legal guardian registers the account using their own information and is responsible for supervising what the child accesses, posts and shares.

What do users actually need to do?

For most people it's simpler than it sounds:

  1. Open the social app you use (Facebook, TikTok, Zalo, etc.).
  2. Check your profile or account settings for a confirmed Vietnamese phone number.
  3. If there isn't one, add your own number and enter the code the platform sends.

Our advice:

  • Use a number registered in your name that you'll keep. Your phone number is also a key recovery channel.
  • If you change numbers, update your account before dropping the old one.
  • Shared accounts and company Page admins should be tied to the phone of the person actually responsible.

Beware of "Decree 147 verification" scams

New rules attract scammers. Remember:

  • Verification happens inside the platform's app. No "official" will call asking you to read out a one-time code or install an app to "verify your social media account".
  • Don't click links in messages warning your account "will be locked unless verified under Decree 147".
  • Never send ID photos, one-time codes or passwords by message.

When in doubt, open the app yourself and check settings. Real platform notices appear in the app.

Is the rule changing?

Possibly. In late July 2026 the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism released a draft amendment to Decree 147 for consultation. According to VietNamNet, it clarifies verification of social media and online game accounts by a legally verified phone number or personal identification number, and proposes tighter rules for accounts of children under 16. It is only a draft and not in force. We'll update this article once a final text is issued.

The full text of Decree 147/2024/ND-CP is available on Vietnam's national legal database and Thu Vien Phap Luat.

How AT Media can help

If you own the account and have trouble adding a phone number, keep getting verification prompts, or are blocked from posting without a clear reason, AT Media can check with you and follow the platform's official process. We never ask for your password or one-time codes, and your information stays private.

All articles