Elite Competition and Narrative Inconsistency in Vietnam’s Propaganda Apparatus
Dien Nguyen An Luong|Nguyen Khac Giang
This Long Read argues that Vietnam’s propaganda apparatus is increasingly shaped by internal tensions between two informal but influential elite coalitions. On one side are conservative actors embedded in the military and ideology apparatus, who prioritise ideological orthodoxy and regime security. On the other are reformist pragmatists, often drawn from diplomatic and economic institutions, who place greater emphasis on performance legitimacy, international engagement, and administrative modernisation.

