# Vĩnh Long Radio - Television Station

Vĩnh Long Radio - Television Station (THVL) (Vietnamese: Đài Phát thanh – Truyền hình Vĩnh Long) is a Vietnamese television network owned by the People's Committee of Vĩnh Long Province. It is the largest station in the Southwest region of Vietnam and ranks among the top three television networks in the country, alongside VTV and HTV, in terms of viewership ratings.

## History

Vĩnh Long Radio - Television Station originated as Cửu Long Radio Station (Đài Phát thanh tỉnh Cửu Long), which officially launched on December 22, 1977. In 1984, the station began broadcasting television programs and was renamed Cửu Long Radio and Television Station. Two years later, in 1986, the station built its own television transmitter to enhance signal coverage throughout the province.
In 1989, the station installed a 10-kilowatt radio transmitter, extending its reach across the entire province and into neighboring regions. Following the reorganization of Cửu Long Province into Vĩnh Long Province and Trà Vinh Province on December 26, 1991, the station was rebranded as Vĩnh Long Radio and Television Station. It began broadcasting under this new name in 1992.
Since 2006, the station has increased its production of in-house radio and television programs, adopting the slogan: "Providing viewers with the services they need, rather than the services they have." In 2008, the station launched its cable TV network, THVLC, offering 80 local and international channels.
In March 2013, Vĩnh Long Radio and Television was awarded the Third-Class Independence Medal by Vietnamese President Trương Tấn Sang in recognition of its contributions. The station has also invested in digital platforms, launching an official YouTube channel and the THVLi mobile app, which allows users to stream its programs in real time. In December 2016, THVL transitioned from analog to digital broadcasting.

## Operations

THVL operates four channels:
| Channel | Launch date |
| THVL1 - News, Politics and General Entertainment | 22 December 1992 |
| THVL2 - General Entertainment | 1 January 2005 |
| THVL3 - Vietnamese Movies and General Entertainment | 2008-2009 (first incarnation) 3 February 2019 (second incarnation) |
| THVL4 - Culture, Tourism and Entertainment | 30 April 2019 |

## Services

In addition to its television channels, THVL provides:
* Sóng FM: A radio station broadcasting on FM 90.2 MHz.
* THVLi: A streaming service offering 24/7 access to all THVL channels and programming.
* THVL Audio: An audio service that streams THVL radio stations.

## Controversies

THVL has faced criticism for some of its programming, which has been accused of being biased and presenting inaccurate information.
* "Lời cảnh báo" (Episode 385, August 2017): This episode discussed negative aspects of anime, particularly focusing on ecchi content. However, the station mistakenly aired an entire hentai series as an example of ecchi, equating it with anime in general. This led to backlash from anime fans, who criticized the station on social media, forcing THVL to disable comments and eventually delete the video.
* "Câu chuyện cuộc sống" (August 2, 2018): This episode, titled "Robbery and murder mission game - Entertainment or promoting crime," described survival video games like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) and Minecraft as promoting violence. The episode was met with widespread criticism from the gaming community, leading the station to remove the video.
In May 2019, THVL aired another controversial video titled "Online game addiction is more difficult to overcome than drug addiction." This video also faced backlash and was subsequently deleted from YouTube.