Despite its lowly ranking in the press freedom index, Vietnam's newly-opened Press Museum in the capital Hanoi stands as a tribute to the history of journalism in the communist country.
Undeterred by its dismal ranking in media freedom and grim reputation for jailing reporters who stray from the government line, Vietnam has launched a museum dedicated to the open press.
From Pulitzer Prize-winning photos from the Vietnam War to the story of the struggle over press freedom during the French colonial era, the carefully curated exhibits offer a highly selective history of journalism in the communist nation.
However, for museum director Tran Thi Kim Hoa, the exhibition is a proud example of the apparent liberties enjoyed by the country’s press corps.
«With the press freedom law that the French brought to Vietnam, we have always been highly aware of what freedom of the press was,» she told AFP Thursday, referencing an 1881 law that applied to France and its colonial territory, but was patchily used in Vietnam.
But criticism of Vietnam’s top echelons of power is not tolerated.
The museum, which cost about $1 million to build, eschews exploring the careful dance reporters engage in when tackling the country’s issues.
1750.951 SRY