Radio Free Asia (RFA) announces that its Vietnamese service will suspend all news production, starting October 31. Photo: Screenshot

This is the first time the RFA has suspended operations since it began broadcasting in 1996.

“This means initiating a process of closing down overseas bureaus and formally laying off furloughed staff and paying their severance - many of whom have been on unpaid leave since March,” said Bay Fang, RFA’s president and CEO, in a statement.

In March, the radio station was forced to lay off or temporarily lay off more than 90% of its staff and drastically reduce its program production due to the Trump administration cutting most of its media funding.

Although some of the cuts were restored following court appeals in 2025, the US government shutdown has left RFA in further financial difficulty.