Based in Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon Times group is a publisher of titles including the Vietnamese business weekly Thoi Bao Kinh Te Sai Gon, the English newspaper The Saigon Times Daily, and a few industry magazines including the consumer newspaper Sai Gon Tiep Thi and the IT news magazine Thoi Bao Vi Tinh Saigon.


Media assets

Publishing: Kinh Te Saigon, The Saigon Times Weekly, The Saigon Times

State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)


Ownership and governance

Saigon Times Group reports to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, which appoints its management and runs its operations, according to experts and journalists specialized in Vietnam.

Source of funding and budget

Saigon Times Group doesn’t publish information about its annual budget. As a unit of the Department of Industry and Trade in the Ho Chi Minh City administration, the group is funded by the government, according to experts and journalists specialized in Vietnam. In recent years, the outlets belonging to the group have begun to sell ads in their publications, but commercial revenues are unlikely to account for more than 50% of the group’s budget. The city administration is in full control of the financial operations run by the group.

Editorial independence

Saigon Times Group operates as part of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, which has full decision-making power over its editorial coverage, according to experts and journalists specialized in Vietnam.

No domestic statute and no independent oversight mechanism to validate the editorial independence of Saigon Times Group publications have been identified.

September 2023