Vietnam journalism 'gifts' exposed

By Clare Arthurs BBC Hanoi correspondent

Police in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, say they will charge a man with fraud after catching him posing as a journalist.

The man, a mechanic, had been attending press conferences where small amounts of money are traditionally handed out to encourage favourable stories.

Police said the man they arrested in Hanoi last week, Lai Ngoc Oanh, had been posing as a journalist for seven years.

Staff at the Saigon Economic Times, a weekly based in Ho Chi Minh City, reported their suspicions about the 56-year-old, who was using a false name to get into press conferences.

He reportedly complained he could not make enough money as a mechanic and was posing as a reporter so he could receive the gifts.

Police say he will be charged with fraud and forging identity papers.

Envelopes containing cash of up to 100,000 dong - about $7 - are commonly paid to Vietnamese reporters. Most common are gifts from companies launching new products.

An official at the Vietnamese Journalists' Association, who declined to be identified, said the practice is considered normal and only gifts over about $300 are considered bribes.

Two journalists were jailed last month for accepting money to protect the Nam Cam crime gang.

The authorities have allowed several foreign-funded training projects to teach local journalists professional skills. But Vietnam's media culture remains one of tight party control, where journalists are required to report in a non-challenging style and to actively promote party policies.

Foreign reporters are not exposed to the practice of giving envelopes and are rarely allowed to attend local media events.