The IRL Impact of Viral Web Culture in Vietnam

Last June, officials in Vietnam's Ministry of Information and Communication canceled the release of an eagerly anticipated film — Bui Doi Cho Lon or The Street Children of Chinatown — because it was deemed too violent, and didn't portray the "social realities" of Ho Chi Minh City.

The decision wasn't out of the ordinary; the Vietnamese government has a long history of censoring entertainment. In fact, one year earlier, the same government office banned The Hunger Games. But this time, Bui Doi Cho Lon's banning spurred many online memes and remixed images protesting the decision; they spread like wildfire on Facebook, with commenters on both sides of the argument sharing their opinions. Read more...