This report establishes standard measures of effect for Vietnam’s distinctive media ecology. Key findings:

  • Smaller creators have more influence. Content creators with 2,000–20,000 followers (nano- and micro-influencers) are more likely to engage audiences than large or very large accounts; mega-influencers (>1 million followers) retain influence through scale alone, while mid-sized creators have plateaued.
  • Expertise matters, especially locally. When a local influencer displays high expertise in a topic, participants are five times more likely to give higher trust ratings and nearly three times more likely to report an intention to act on that advice.
  • Vietnam has a distinct media ecology. Its blend of national and international platforms, geographic and age diversity, and high connectivity produce a communication environment unlike any other country’s.
  • Misinformation and cultural knowledge are easily conflated. Media systems in Vietnam carry the country’s knowledge systems across journalism, culture, health and other public-interest areas; there is a risk of pathologising cultural beliefs as misinformation, and clear boundaries between local custom and scientific misinformation are needed.
  • Mental health is a critical focus area. Of all the expertise explored, mental health requires the most attention across the media sector, as generational attitudes shift and digital resources emerge rapidly.
  • Trust is contested in a hybrid environment. Vietnam’s mix of traditional and digital media, with differing editorial and governance approaches, creates tension between trusting content creators and trusting the sources of their information.

Cite: Hutchinson, J., Bailo, F., Goldwater, M., Triêu Thanh, L., Yaqub, W., & Ngô, Đ. D. (2026). Standard Measures of Effect in Vietnamese Media Systems. Sydney Southeast Asia Centre, University of Sydney. https://doi.org/10.25910/4fee-me64