Information on PhD thesis of PhD student Kap Thanh Long: Communication of political decisions in crisis in Vietnam (research on central press and government media channels during the COVID-19 pandemic)

1. Full name of PhD student: Kap Thanh Long

2. Gender: Male

3. Date of birth: October 17, 1983

4. Place of birth: Luong Son Commune, Phu Tho (formerly Luong Son, Hoa Binh)

5. Decision on recognition of PhD students No. 4416/2019/QD-XHNV dated November 26, 2019 of the President of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities

6. Changes in the training process (if any): Extend the training period from November 2023 to the end of November 2025

7. Thesis topic name:

Communicating political decisions in crisis in Vietnam (a study of central press and government media channels during the COVID-19 pandemic)

8. Major: Journalism

9. Code: 9320101.01

10. Scientific instructor:

 Associate Professor, Doctor of Science. Nguyen Van Dung

 Associate Professor, Doctor of Science. Vu Quang Hao

11. Summary of new results of the thesis:

11.1. Purpose and research objects of the thesis

Purpose: This thesis is conducted to achieve the following three purposes:

- Reconstructing the general picture of political policy communication during the COVID-19 pandemic

- Evaluate the communication process during the pandemic of the Central newspaper and some media channels of government agencies.

- Proposed Guidelines for Communicating Political Decisions in Crisis

In Vietnam

Thesis research object: The process of communicating political decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

11.2. Main research methods used

In-depth interview method

Sociological investigation method using questionnaire Anket

Content analysis method.

11.3. Main results and conclusions

11.3.1. Main results

First, the study confirms that political decision communication in crisis is a particularly important area in the context of large-scale crises.

Second, the thesis clarifies that, in the context of digital media, with the explosion of the Internet and social networks, classical communication theories continue to hold value.

Third, the thesis proposed a research framework for political decision communication in crisis, initially proposing criteria for analyzing policy communication based on three factors: Speed, intensity and persuasiveness;

Fourth, from the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, the study shows that central press agencies such as Nhan Dan Newspaper, Vietnam Television (VTV), Voice of Vietnam (VOV), Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and the Government Electronic Information Portal (VGP), Vnexpress.net; Health and Life have played a pivotal role in communicating the Government's important political decisions during the pandemic, especially the decision to isolate and block and the decision to vaccinate the whole population.

Fifth, on the public side, the survey results of 359 people in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City showed that VTV is the channel with the highest rating in terms of receiving information about the policy. In particular, the majority of people surveyed agreed that communication about the policy has had a positive impact on awareness and behavior, helping the public understand the policy, better comply with epidemic prevention regulations, spread the spirit of community responsibility and be ready to participate in the fight against COVID-19.

Sixth, the research in the thesis also shows that communicating political decisions on social media is an important step in innovating the way to reach the public and improving the quality of policy communication in crisis.

Seventh, besides the positive points, the thesis also pointed out some limitations in communicating political decisions during the COVID-19 crisis such as some press agencies violating individuals' privacy rights and the press lacking critical thinking.

Eighth, the above results are the basis for the thesis to propose a model of political decision communication in crisis, aiming for high applicability in future crisis situations.

11.3.2. Conclusion

The thesis has approached the topic of political policy communication in crisis in a relatively comprehensive way, taking the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam as the central case study. The thesis proposes a research framework for political policy communication in crisis with the factors of speed, intensity and persuasiveness. Through research and survey, the important role of the central press has been proven. The author also proposes a model of political policy communication in crisis with the expectation that it can be applied to crisis situations if they occur in the future.

12. Further research directions:

The author's next research direction:

• Research on political policy communication in crisis with special public groups such as ethnic minorities, public groups of state officials, public groups of freelance workers, etc.

• In-depth research on policy communication on social media. The author will focus on highly sensitive policies that require careful communication such as nuclear power, land acquisition, or ethnic and religious issues. The goal is to find effective communication methods to build social consensus and prevent the risk of conflict.

• Research on the impact of social media algorithms on young people. Algorithms can create “information bubbles”, causing users to only access content that suits their views, thereby making it easy to be led and manipulated in their perception. This research aims to propose political communication solutions to help young people have a correct and positive perception of the country’s situation, avoiding false and negative information.

13. Publications related to the thesis:

1. Nguyen Van Dung (2021), “Using social media to communicate political decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam”,Proceedings of the international scientific conference on Information Crisis Management in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic, jointly organized by the Academy of Journalism and Communication, Koica, and Nhan Dan Newspaper,pp. 444 - 462.

2. Kap Thanh Long (2024), “Financial Resource for journalism to execute policy communication missions in emergency situation”,Economics Of Journalism And Communication In The Context Of Digital Economy Development,World Publishing House, pp. 127 - 146.

3. Kap Thanh Long (2024), “Government funding for press in public policy communication current issues and proposed solutions”,Economics Of Journalism And Communication In The Context Of Digital Economy Development,World Publishing House, pp. 147–167.

INFORMATION ON THE DOCTORAL THESIS

1. Full name: Kap Thanh Long

2. Sex: Male

3. Date of birth: October 17, 1983

4. Place of birth: Phu Tho (formerly Hoa Binh).

5. Admission decision number: No. 4416/2019/QD-XHNV dated November 26, 2019, by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi National University.
6. Changes in academic process:
   Extension of the training period from November 2023 until the end of November 2025
7. Official thesis title:

POLITICAL DECISION COMMUNICATION DURING A CRISIS IN VIETNAM
(FOCUSING ON CENTRAL-LEVEL NEWS MEDIA AND GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION CHANNELS IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

      8.   Major: Journalism

9. Code: 9320101.01

10. Supervisors:

• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Dung
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Quang Hao

1. Summary of new findings of the thesis:
   11.1. Research objectives and subjects
   Objectives: The thesis aims to achieve three main goals:

• Reconstruct an overview of political decision communication during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Evaluate the communication process of central press and some government-affiliated media channels during the pandemic

• Propose guidelines for political decision communication in crisis situations in Vietnam

11.2. Main research methods used

• In-depth interviews

• Sociological surveys using questionnaires

• Content analysis

11.3. Key findings and conclusions

11.3.1. Key findings

• First, the study affirms that political decision communication in crisis is a critically important field during large-scale crises.

• Second, the thesis clarifies that in the context of digital media and the explosion of the Internet and social networks, classical communication theories still hold value.

• Third, the thesis proposes a research framework for political decision communication in crisis, initially shows analysis criteria based on three factors: speed, intensity, and persuasiveness.

• Fourth, based on qualitative and quantitative data analysis, the study shows that central press agencies such as Nhan Dan Newspaper, Vietnam Television (VTV), Voice of Vietnam (VOV), Vietnam News Agency (VNA), Government Portal (VGP), VnExpress.net, and Health & Life played a core role in communicating key government decisions during the pandemic, especially lockdown and mass vaccination policies.

• Fifth, from a public perspective, a survey of 359 people in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City shows that VTV was rated highest in terms of reliability and reception of decision-related information. Most agreed that decision communication positively influenced awareness and behavior, helping the public understand policies, complying better with pandemic regulations, spreading community responsibility, and actively contributing to the fight against COVID-19.

• Sixth, the thesis also points out that political decision communication on social media is a significant step forward in improving public engagement and the quality of crisis communication.

• Seventh, alongside positive aspects, the thesis identifies limitations such as privacy violations by some press agencies and lack of critical journalism.

• Eighth, these findings form the basis for prejudice a model of political decision communication in crisis, aiming for high applicability in future crisis scenarios.

11.3.2. Conclusion
This thesis provides a relatively comprehensive approach to the topic of political decision communication in crisis, using the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam as the central case study. It proposes a research framework based on speed, intensity, and persuasiveness. Through research and surveys, the important role of central press has been demonstrated. The author also proposes a model for political decision communication in crisis, with the hope of applying it to future crisis situations.

12. Future research directions:

• Study political decision communication in crisis with specific public groups such as ethnic areas, government officials, and informal workers.

• Deep research on policy communication on social media, focusing on sensitive policies such as nuclear energy, land acquisition, ethnic and religious issues. The goal is to find effective communication methods to build social consensus and prevent conflict.

• Study the impact of social media algorithms on young people. Algorithms can create “information bubbles,” leading users to only access content aligned with their views, making them vulnerable to manipulation. This research aims to propose political communication solutions to help young people develop accurate and positive perceptions of national issues, avoiding rumors and negative perceptions.

13. Thesis-related publications

1/ Nguyen Van Dung (2021), “Using social media for political decision communication during the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam”,Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference on Crisis Information Management in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic, organized by the Academy of Journalism and Communication, KOICA, and Nhan Dan Newspaper, pp. 444–462.
2/ Kap Thanh Long (2024), “Financial Resource for journalism to execute policy communication missions in emergency situation”,Economics Of Journalism And Communication In The Context Of Digital Economy Development, World Publishing House, pp. 127–146.
3/ Kap Thanh Long (2024), “Government funding for press in public policy communication: current issues and proposed solutions”,Economics Of Journalism And Communication In The Context Of Digital Economy Development, World Publishing House, pp. 147–167.