In response to steep U.S. government funding cuts, LIV co-founder Trịnh Hữu Long reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to building a self-sustaining independent media movement during a World Press Freedom Day panel in Taipei on May 3, 2025.
“We thank the U.S. government and the American people for supporting us for a long time,” said Long, Interim Executive Director of Legal Initiatives for Vietnam (LIV) and Editor-in-Chief of Luật Khoa Magazine. “But it’s time for us [LIV] to be on our own.”
Long made the remarks during a panel discussion hosted by the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents Club (TFCC) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on the theme “Fighting for the facts in an age of authoritarianism.” The event, held at Daybreak Café—home to the Taipei-based publication New Bloom—gathered journalists and press freedom advocates reporting on their home countries from exile. The panel was moderated by New Bloom founding editor and TFCC board member Brian Hioe.
Long outlined the dire media landscape in Vietnam, where all domestic outlets are tightly controlled by the state.
In the 2025 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on the same day of the event, Vietnam ranks 173rd out of 180 countries, with a score of 19.74. This marks a slight improvement in ranking from 174th in 2024, but a decline in overall score, indicating a worsening press freedom environment.
While Vietnamese citizens still have access to platforms like Facebook, Google, and Wikipedia—unlike in China—independent journalism is effectively banned. As a result, nearly all non-state Vietnamese journalists operate from underground networks or in exile, often without stable funding or protection.
The U.S. government’s recent cuts to media development funding for independent media—including LIV—have accelerated the need for a new model. Long revealed that LIV’s budget for 2025 has been slashed by half, forcing the organization to fast-track its long-term strategy for financial independence.
Over the past few years, LIV has begun monetizing its content through membership and YouTube ads, and has introduced affordable reader subscriptions. Luật Khoa Magazine now charges only USD $2 per month to ensure accessibility even for readers in Vietnam, where censorship is tight and average incomes remain low, while the English publication The Vietnamese Magazine has planned to start monetization in 2025.
Other panelists included Aleksandra Bielakowska, Advocacy Manager and Chairperson of RSF Taiwan; Will Yang, journalist and executive member of the Association of Taiwan Journalists; and Shirley Leung Ka Lai, Editor-in-Chief of Hong Kong’s Photon Media. Each speaker addressed the deteriorating state of press freedom in their respective countries and the critical role that exile media plays in preserving truth and accountability.
Long’s participation underscored LIV’s dual commitment to both frontline reporting and long-term institutional resilience. As authoritarianism rises across Asia, he argued, Vietnamese civil society must take ownership of its media infrastructure—both ideologically and financially.
Long expressed profound gratitude for Taiwan’s democracy and freedom, which have enabled LIV to operate safely and openly in the country since 2016. Responding to a question from the audience, he said “if war happens [between Taiwan and China], we are staying. We will be here to cover the war.”