On Wednesday, Vietnam’s parliament passed reforms to media and state secrets laws, a move that press freedom advocates warn will heighten legal risks for journalists and make it more difficult to safeguard the identities of their sources.

“We are appalled by the further restriction to the legal framework governing press freedom in Vietnam,” Aleksandra Bielakowska, from Reporters Without Borders, said on Wednesday.

The changes will make Vietnam “an almost impossible place for journalists to report freely”, said Bielakowska.

Reporters Without Borders ranks Vietnam 173rd of 180 countries in its world press freedom index.

Expanding State Secrets

Vietnam’s lawmakers adopted a revamped press law, to take effect in July, which will require journalists to reveal sources at the request of au

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