Vietnamese Prime Minister, Nguyen Dung, whose government has been criticised for targeting political bloggers and online activists, said a ban on social media is “impossible.

Nguyen Dung said at a gathering in Government Office, Hanoi on Thursday.

“All the people at this meeting join social networks

“We do not prevent it. It is impossible to ban,’’ Dung said.

Sporadic access to social media sites like Facebook, has prompted speculation over whether it is officially blocked.

Hhowever, the government has not confirmed this.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has 30 million Facebook users.

According to a report, the site is popular with businesses as well as activist groups at a time when the government has been cracking down on its online critics.

According to Human Rights Watch, Vietnam had an estimated 150 to 200 political prisoners.

The government said it only jailed people who break the law.