Dear friends and supporters,
If you’re reading this, it means you care about our work, and for that, thank you.
I’m Trịnh Hữu Long, Interim Executive Director of Legal Initiatives for Vietnam (LIV). As we reach the midpoint of 2025, I’d like to share with you some key highlights, ongoing challenges, and the exciting road ahead. Despite a turbulent funding landscape, your trust and solidarity have allowed us not just to survive but to grow in meaningful ways.
This is a long letter, so I appreciate you taking the time.
Funding, Funding, Funding
Let’s begin with the question many of you may be wondering: How is LIV doing financially?
When we founded LIV in 2014, the global nonprofit landscape and world politics felt more stable and hopeful. Times have changed. The sector has been shaken by significant cuts to U.S. foreign aid, and we’ve not been spared: LIV has lost half its budget.
Yet, even in the midst of this uncertainty, we consider ourselves fortunate. While many organisations have seen entire funding streams disappear, we remain deeply grateful for the continued commitment of our long-time donors and for the generosity of new supporters who have stepped forward.
We’re also witnessing a growing wave of support from our community: readers and friends from around the world. I cannot thank you enough.
Thanks to your support, LIV is currently on track to sustain operations through June 2026, with a projected budget of approximately $280,000, giving us another year to continue our work.
But the real test lies ahead.
By this time next year, our largest grants are expected to expire, with slim prospects for renewal. We are preparing for a worst-case scenario: a sharp decline in our annual budget to under $100,000 starting July 2026, half of which would need to come directly from readers.
Financial hardship is likely to persist for the foreseeable future. And yet, within LIV, I see something extraordinary: a team more united, creative, and committed than ever. Every day brings fresh ideas, renewed purpose, and relentless dedication.
I know many of you are fighting your own battles in the broader struggle for justice and press freedom. Please know that we are right there with you.
You can read more about our position here.
Highlights from the First Half of 2025
Luật Khoa Magazine: Stronger than ever
Luật Khoa tạp chí is the first, the core, and the largest project of LIV’s. This Vietnamese-language publication has made major achievements in the first six months of 2025, strengthening its position as one of the leading non-state media outlets in the country.
- We published 292 articles, nearly matching the total output of 2024 (318 articles).
- We largely focused on political and legal issues that matter the most to the Vietnamese public, such as the massive restructure of Vietnam’s political system, the problematic constitutional and legal reforms, high-profile corruption cases, and so forth.
- Website traffic reached 1.2 million views, close to the 1.3 million for all of 2024.
- Membership briefly exceeded 1,000 in April, before settling at 927 in June following technical issues during our migration from Ghost to WordPress.
- Including 106 regular donors, we now have 1,033 supporters contributing monthly or annually, with a monthly revenue of approximately $2,600.
The Vietnamese Magazine: Rapid development
As a sister publication of Luật Khoa, The Vietnamese Magazine significantly expanded its production and traffic in the first six months of 2025.
- Published 100 articles (compared to 137 for all of 2024).
- Achieved 64,000 views, a 20% increase over the same period last year.
As one of the few independent English-language outlets focused on Vietnam, we have big ambitions for this platform. Stay tuned, plans will be unveiled later this year.
Luật Khoa YouTube channel: Surpassing 100,000 subscribers and 30 million views
The Luật Khoa YouTube channel has been an exciting new member of our ecosystem of independent journalism. Started just three years ago, it quickly became our largest audience.
- On January 24, 2025, the channel reached a major milestone: 100,000 subscribers.
- By the end of June, that number had surged to nearly 140,000, with total views surpassing 30 million. In just six months, the three-year-old channel gained almost 50,000 new subscribers and 8.5 million additional views.
- And yes, we proudly received the Silver Creator Award by YouTube.
This achievement is a testament to the growing demand for trustworthy, independent, and accessible information — especially in video format. It also reflects the hard work of our team (including interns) in adapting our content for a platform that reaches younger and more diverse audiences.
Whether it’s deep dives into constitutional rights, legal education, or current affairs, our YouTube channel continues to make complex issues more understandable and more shareable, one video at a time.
Thank you to everyone who subscribed, watched, shared, or supported our video content. This is your milestone, too.
Human Rights Impact Assessment on Facebook’s operations in Vietnam
We are excited to announce the launch of a major report: “Community-led Human Right Impact Assessment – Facebook”.
This report developed in collaboration with Article 19 and CLARITI, critically analyzes Facebook’s handling of the Vietnamese government’s requests for content removal, its content manipulation practices, and Facebook’s own role in content production.
Find the full report here.
Marking 50 years since the Fall of Saigon
This year marks a historical milestone: the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon in 1975, a turning point that continues to shape the Vietnamese identity, both within the country and across the diaspora. To reflect on its enduring legacy, we are proud to share two initiatives:
The 1975 Project – Rediscovering a historical year
At Luật Khoa Magazine, we have launched the 1975 Project at 1975.luatkhoa.com, dedicated to reliving and rediscovering the pivotal events of 1975 in Vietnam. Through in-depth features, personal histories, and critical analysis, we are inviting readers to explore how that year reshaped a nation and what it continues to mean for freedom, memory, and justice today.
The 1975 Internship program – Bridging generations
In parallel, we have announced the launching of the 1975 Internship Program on April 30, 2025 (read more here): an annual opportunity dedicated to empowering the next generation of Vietnamese diaspora youth to reconnect with their heritage, develop a strong identity, build meaningful cross-border networks, and contribute to shaping a freer, more just Viet Nam and thus a more just world.
The Road Ahead
While LIV has been developing Luật Khoa Magazine’s business model since 2022, with the help of a trusted partner, Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF), we are now committed to go faster and further. Ensuring our independence and long-term viability is what is driving us forward.
Over the past few years, LIV has begun monetizing its content through membership support, YouTube ads, and affordable reader subscriptions.
Because at the heart of our mission is a clear belief: Vietnamese civil society must take ownership of its media infrastructure.
In addition to monetizing LIV’s own content, we’ve begun exploring business opportunities beyond the organization.
In June, I established a for-profit single-member company in the United States called Lý Yên, LLC, with the goal of creating new income streams to support LIV’s mission. I’ve pledged to donate 100% of Lý Yên’s profits to LIV and other independent media initiatives. You can follow this social entrepreneurship journey on my Substack.
Through Lý Yên, we are exploring ventures such as marketing services, web development and maintenance, affiliate marketing, and more. Whatever path we take, we are committed to ensuring that all activities remain firmly aligned with LIV’s values and mission.
This marks a new chapter in LIV’s journey, one filled with both significant challenges and bold opportunities. If we succeed, we will emerge from this crisis as a stronger, more financially independent media institution, while staying true to our mission: building an independent and high-quality press for Vietnam.
We invite you to join us and help make it happen.
Warmest regards,
Trịnh Hữu Long
Interim Executive Director