Lê Quốc Minh, Editor-in-Chief of Nhân Dân (The People) newspaper and Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Communication and Education and Mass Mobilisation, speaks at the 2025 National Journalism Forum on Thursday. — VNS Lê Việt Dũng

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s top media official has delivered a stark warning about the future of journalism, saying the industry is being shaken by artificial intelligence (AI), audience disengagement and strategic missteps that have left news organisations with "traffic but no readers."

Speaking at the 2025 National Journalism Forum held on Thursday to mark the 100th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day, Lê Quốc Minh, Editor-in-Chief of Nhân Dân (The People) newspaper and Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Communication and Education and Mass Mobilisation, outlined a series of deep structural threats facing traditional media in Việt Nam.

Minh cited the latest global report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, noting that the rapid uptake of AI tools for news consumption is reshaping how people access and trust information.

While 7 per cent of global survey respondents reported using AI extensively to read the news, the figure rises to 15 per cent among those under 25 and 12 per cent for those under 35. ChatGPT is the most widely used tool, followed by Google Gemini, Meta AI and other chatbots.

Despite the rise of AI, Minh said traditional outlets still held an advantage when trust is in doubt.

"When people suspect that the information might be false, they don’t usually rely on AI chatbots but instead go to mainstream media to verify. This is good news for us," he said.

However, he warned that the traditional foundations of digital news traffic, especially search engines, were beginning to collapse.

Google’s introduction of the AI Overviews feature, which provides direct answers instead of showing links, is already reducing referrals to news websites. Some outlets have recorded traffic declines of 20 per cent to 60 per cent in a matter of weeks.

Minh said search traffic could fall to just 25 per cent next year, and could possibly drop to zero within two years.

He also noted rising concerns from publishers globally that tech platforms are scraping content to train AI models without credit or compensation. The shift, he said, could severely undermine outlets that rely on search-driven traffic.

Minh attributed part of the current crisis to strategic errors made by news organisations themselves. The first, he said, was the early decision to post all content online for free, creating a habit among readers of expecting journalism at no cost.

"Back then, we sold print newspapers and people were willing to pay. Now, everyone wants it for free," he said.

The second mistake, he said, was handing over content to social media platforms in an effort to gain visibility and advertising revenue.

"Once they had our readers and their data, they turned their backs on us. Now they say they don’t need journalism anymore,” he added.

As a result, traditional news outlets are losing direct relationships with readers. Minh said most traffic now comes from search engines and social networks, with less than 20 per cent of users visiting news websites directly -- sometimes even below 10 per cent.

He added that the dominance of platform-driven traffic means that "we have traffic, but we don’t have readers," and that most newsrooms still wrongly use page views as a measure of success.

"Sensational headlines often get the most attention, while high-quality reports on finance, economics or investigative journalism, which cost a lot to produce and may even risk the safety of journalists, get very few views," he said.

Compounding the challenge, advertising revenue is declining. Businesses have shifted budgets to digital platforms where ads can be targeted more precisely by location, age or income.

Minh said this was something traditional outlets couldn’t match. Even legacy formats like print and TV are struggling to attract ads, he noted, pointing out that while digital now accounts for 75 per cent of global advertising spending, only 5 per cent goes to journalism.

The rest flows to platforms like Google, Meta and Amazon, which collectively control about 60 per cent of global digital ad revenue.

Minh stressed the need for diversified revenue models beyond advertising. Subscription services, premium content and hybrid 'freemium' models are crucial for long-term sustainability.

While acknowledging the difficulty of convincing Vietnamese readers to pay, he recalled an experiment at VietnamPlus in 2012 in which readers were asked to pay VNĐ5,000 (US$0.20) per article.

"They were willing to pay right away," he said.

In one case, a single article generated VNĐ16.5 million ($632) in micro-payments, suggesting that Vietnamese audiences are willing to pay for content they value, especially if the user experience is streamlined.

Minh also emphasised the growing importance of first-party data. In the past, newspapers knew their readers personally, even just through delivery boys.

Now, with digital distribution dominated by algorithms, most outlets don’t know who their readers are. He urged the industry to develop new strategies to collect user data directly, including emails, phone numbers and demographics, to regain control over their audience.

AI, while disruptive, also offers tools to strengthen journalism, Minh said. From automating short news reports on weather or finance to recommending personalised content based on user behaviour, AI could help increase engagement if used responsibly.

He pointed to Nhân Dân’s efforts to personalise article suggestions based on reader interests, such as pushing financial news to users interested in the economy, or sports content to sports fans.

Việt Nam’s media industry is also beginning to invest in training. The Vietnam Journalists Association has started AI training courses for 2,000 journalists, with plans to expand to 3,000 more this year and a long-term goal of training 10,000 nationwide.

Looking forward, Minh warned of a coming shift in how audiences consume information. Smart wearable devices, such as glasses, watches or rings, are integrating AI to deliver real-time news updates and summaries.

"You won’t even have to take your phone out of your pocket. The device will read the news for you," he said.

These technologies, he added, are emerging as a direct competitor to smartphones for news consumption and could further erode traffic to traditional outlets.

Minh said the content itself must evolve to meet these changes. Newsrooms should develop formats like podcasts, short videos and infographics optimised for smart devices and AI platforms.

"We must focus on producing high-value, differentiated content that AI cannot replicate," he said. "Don’t try to please everyone."

Despite the digital shift, Minh said print journalism still holds value. Studies have shown that readers in the UK spend more time with print newspapers, up to 40 minutes, compared to just 30 seconds for online articles.

Print is also associated with higher retention and comprehension, even among younger readers. In the US, 44 per cent of readers aged 15–34 said print was easier to read, and nearly 70 per cent of young print subscribers had never switched to digital.

Minh said print should now be treated as a premium product, not just an extension of digital content.

Outlets that successfully balance digital innovation with the heritage of print, he concluded, would be better positioned to retain loyal audiences, strengthen their brand and maintain a sustainable business model in the years ahead. — VNS