Nga made this statement at the ministry’s regular meeting in Hanoi on February 17 in response to reporters’ questions on Vietnam’s response to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech on Internet freedom at the George Washington University on February 15 in which she mentioned Vietnam.

According to Nga, by December 2010, the number of Internet users in Vietnam had reached nearly 26.8 million, accounting for 31.11 percent of the country’s population. More than 1.5 million had their own blogs.

However, like other countries, all information on the Internet must abide by the law so that it does not affect the country’s customs, social morality, public order and national security, said the spokesperson.

“In Vietnam, the freedom and democratic rights of all people, including freedom of information and speech, are clearly written in the constitution and law, and are assured to be carried out,” Nga affirmed.

In Vietnam, all citizens are protected by the law but at the same time they must respect the law, she said, adding that any person who violates the law would be treated justly under the legal regulations.

“We believe that any difference in relations among countries should be solved in a constructive spirit of mutual respect and understanding, with no intervention in each other’s internal affairs,” Nga stressed.