Vietnam exonerates ex-MP for fatal crash after online outrage

Vietnam exonerates ex-MP for fatal crash after online outrage Vietnam defended its decision not to charge a former lawmaker over a fatal car crash, saying the victim’s family did not press charges. BANGKOK: Vietnamese authorities have countered days of online outrage over a senior official avoiding charges for a fatal car crash - with a showpiece broadcast showing the dead young woman's father backing the decision. Former National Assembly member Nguyen Sy Cuong ploughed into the teenager and her father before hitting a tree on a Hanoi street on May 30, 2025. Coverage of the crash was minimal at the time, but social media lit up in recent weeks with discussion of the accident and its 18-year-old victim, with many users alleging the driver was drunk. Some complained that their posts were taken down, while flowers left at the crash site - tree number 55 on Nguyen Huy Tu, a leafy street in the centre of the capital - were swiftly removed. Security officials were deployed to prevent any further tributes. Vietnam's Communist authorities generally move swiftly to stamp out dissent and detain critics, especially those who find an audience on social media. But in an extraordinary broadcast on state television on Monday night, police confirmed the crash, the death and the fact the driver was former MP Nguyen Sy Cuong, whose wife is the country's culture, sports and tourism minister. Posts about the crash went viral after the culture ministry banned more than a dozen songs by singer MCK for bad language. The VTV broadcast said Nguyen Sy Cuong was not prosecuted because the victim's family chose not to press charges. As proof, the programme featured the victim's father Do Viet Hung, who was injured in the crash. He confirmed the official version and urged his fellow Vietnamese to drop the issue. "We have no complaints, nor do we have any reservations or questions regarding how the investigative agency handled our family's case," he said, speaking with his face obscured. "Above all, as Vietnamese citizens, we must cherish our patriotism and avoid being swayed by reactionary elements," he added, using a phrase often used by the Vietnamese state to refer to government critics. A Ministry of Public Security spokesman said it had "detected extremely dangerous plots and intentions by hostile forces, reactionaries, and bad actors - particularly terrorists - to incite unrest and cause disturbances". Former National Assembly member Nguyen Sy Cuong ploughed into the teenager and her father before hitting a tree on a Hanoi street on May 30, 2025. Coverage of the crash was minimal at the time, but social media lit up in recent weeks with discussion of the accident and its 18-year-old victim, with many users alleging the driver was drunk. Some complained that their posts were taken down, while flowers left at the crash site - tree number 55 on Nguyen Huy Tu, a leafy street in the centre of the capital - were swiftly removed. Security officials were deployed to prevent any further tributes. Vietnam's Communist authorities generally move swiftly to stamp out dissent and detain critics, especially those who find an audience on social media. But in an extraordinary broadcast on state television on Monday night, police confirmed the crash, the death and the fact the driver was former MP Nguyen Sy Cuong, whose wife is the country's culture, sports and tourism minister. Posts about the crash went viral after the culture ministry banned more than a dozen songs by singer MCK for bad language. The VTV broadcast said Nguyen Sy Cuong was not prosecuted because the victim's family chose not to press charges. As proof, the programme featured the victim's father Do Viet Hung, who was injured in the crash. He confirmed the official version and urged his fellow Vietnamese to drop the issue. "We have no complaints, nor do we have any reservations or questions regarding how the investigative agency handled our family's case," he said, speaking with his face obscured. "Above all, as Vietnamese citizens, we must cherish our patriotism and avoid being swayed by reactionary elements," he added, using a phrase often used by the Vietnamese state to refer to government critics. A Ministry of Public Security spokesman said it had "detected extremely dangerous plots and intentions by hostile forces, reactionaries, and bad actors - particularly terrorists - to incite unrest and cause disturbances". "NEGATIVE LIGHT" In Vietnamese-language posts on Meta's Threads app - a favourite with young people in Vietnam - users have slammed authorities for not holding Nguyen Sy Cuong accountable. According to the VTV broadcast, the police investigation concluded the accident was caused by him driving in the wrong lane and on the wrong side of the road. But he had a valid driver's licence and no alcohol in his system, and met "the criteria for exemption from criminal prosecution", prosecutor Ngo Hong Son told the broadcast. A lawyer on the programme agreed with the assessment, insisting "the same standards apply to all traffic incidents". "Nguyen Sy Cuong has sincerely admitted to his actions and actively worked to remedy the consequences; the victim's family has acknowledged this and submitted a request to waive criminal prosecution," said Nguyen Duc Long, deputy director of Hanoi city police. Nguyen Sy Cuong is a former vice chairman of the National Assembly's foreign affairs committee. The VTV report said "millions of posts analysing and commenting on the matter in a negative light" had surfaced on social media platforms, but urged users to be cautious. Meta did not respond to AFP questions about reports some Threads posts had been taken down. Monday night's broadcast sparked a new round of outrage online. "Does that mean from now on, as long as I have a licence and haven't been drinking, I can drive a large vehicle like a car and recklessly speed, change lanes illegally, run red lights, and kill someone -- only to settle the matter with financial compensation and walk away scot-free?" one asked. Another user called for the ex-MP and the minister to appear on state television themselves to "set the record straight". According to the VTV broadcast, the police investigation concluded the accident was caused by him driving in the wrong lane and on the wrong side of the road. But he had a valid driver's licence and no alcohol in his system, and met "the criteria for exemption from criminal prosecution", prosecutor Ngo Hong Son told the broadcast. A lawyer on the programme agreed with the assessment, insisting "the same standards apply to all traffic incidents". "Nguyen Sy Cuong has sincerely admitted to his actions and actively worked to remedy the consequences; the victim's family has acknowledged this and submitted a request to waive criminal prosecution," said Nguyen Duc Long, deputy director of Hanoi city police. Nguyen Sy Cuong is a former vice chairman of the National Assembly's foreign affairs committee. The VTV report said "millions of posts analysing and commenting on the matter in a negative light" had surfaced on social media platforms, but urged users to be cautious. Meta did not respond to AFP questions about reports some Threads posts had been taken down. Monday night's broadcast sparked a new round of outrage online. "Does that mean from now on, as long as I have a licence and haven't been drinking, I can drive a large vehicle like a car and recklessly speed, change lanes illegally, run red lights, and kill someone -- only to settle the matter with financial compensation and walk away scot-free?" one asked. Another user called for the ex-MP and the minister to appear on state television themselves to "set the record straight". Source: AFP/fs