Vietnam: 10,000 cyber troops to fight against 'wrong views'

Dec. 27 (UPI) -- The Vietnamese military has a 10,000-strong cyber troop force who serve as Internet sensors to combat anti-state propaganda, a general said Wednesday.

Col. General Nguyen Trong Nghia spoke at a national meeting to review Vietnam's education and propaganda effort, saying that he saw no reason why the nation needed to hide their special force secret from the world.

"Some have questioned if this is a kind of information that should be made public," Nghia said. "As many forces and countries are talking about a real war in cyberspace, Vietnam should also stay ready to fight against wrongful views in every second, minute and hour."

Nghia said the team -- named Force 47 -- has 10,000 members who serve as the "core-fighters" in cyberspace by combating wrongful information and anti-state propaganda.

In the 20 years since Vietnam began utilizing the global computer network, Nghia said the country has emerged as one of the fastest-growing places for Internet users.

This year, 63 percent of Vietnam's population of 90 million have access to the Internet, the three star general said. Vietnam ranks among Facebook's top ten largest markets, with 52 million users in the country as of August.

"However, such a strong growth rate does both good and harm to the country," Nghia said, adding that anti-government forces are trying to sabotage Vietnam using the Internet.

"The Central Party Committee of the People's Army of Vietnam has concentrated on building forces to fight against wrongful views," Nghia said.

"The military will also have its own force to engage in warfare in cyberspace."

In 2013, Vietnam cracked down on Internet and social media use, announcing the prohibition of posting information against the government.