A former Vietnamese politician unintentionally killed a teenager in a traffic accident in central Hanoi last year but was exempted from criminal prosecution, a police officer told state television, shedding light for the first time on a case that has fuelled criticism online for months.
Authorities said the accident’s exploitation was carried out by “hostile forces”.
The driver, Nguyen Sy Cuong, is a former deputy chairman of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee and the husband of a minister in the current government.
During a recent visit to the site, Reuters reporters saw only scattered flower petals near the tree [where the accident happened]. Plainclothes officers appeared to be monitoring the area from across the street.
But he added that Cuong was exempted from criminal liability because of mitigating factors. The family of the victim, whose identity was not disclosed in the report, also withdrew its complaint, Long said.
Some of my compilations (which actually derived a lot from Wikipedia):
Many young people in Vietnam are outraged by this event…
The driver, Nguyen Sy Cuong, is a former deputy chairman of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee and the husband of a minister in the current Vietnamese government.
At approximately 1:15 PM (Vietnam time) on May 30, 2025, a black BMW X3 driven by Nguyen Sy Cuong veered into the opposing lane and collided with a motorcycle ridden by a man who was carrying his 18-year-old daughter in the correct lane. The car lost control and crashed into a nearby tree, sustaining severe damage to its front end. The accident resulted in the man suffering a broken leg, the young woman having her right leg severed, and the motorcycle being heavily damaged. The young woman subsequently passed away.
Opinions
From the state and those who support the state
The state and those who support the state argue that since the victim’s family wished to drop the charges, and Mr. Cuong did not violate alcohol limits, he generally qualifies for exemption from criminal prosecution. Furthermore, the state also talks about “reactionary elements” trying to distort the story, manipulate public opinion to divide the country, and disrupt security and order.
Lawyer Nguyen Hong Bach of Hong Bach & Associates Law Firm notes that the law is applied uniformly nationwide without discriminatory treatment, and common standards apply to all traffic accidents—meaning investigative agencies evaluate the specific details and actions of each case; consequently, when applying Clause 1, Article 260 of the Code, competent authorities determine whether the statutory conditions for exemption from criminal liability are met and proceed in accordance with regulations.
From opposers
However, those who oppose this raise several points:
First, regarding the decision not to prosecute. Will this become a precedent? And it’s unclear whether the victim’s family’s withdrawal of charges was their genuine intention or if they were coerced. Mr. Cuong (and perhaps his wife) even left after the accident without calling for emergency assistance or support for the victim. The idea that they actually withdrew the charges doesn’t seem very plausible to opposers.
Second, regarding the events, suspicions, and reactions in the Vietnam Television (VTV) news report:
Suspicions VTV used artificial intelligence or fabricated documents and court records, as it contains some irregularities such as spelling errors and missing identification information. Some people have also been noted that VTV secretly deleted the old news report and replaced it with another one that obscured the previous information.
Questions arose regarding why the perpetrator of the accident did not appear in the news report.
Passive forms of protest, such as the symbolic phrase “Do not have children in an unstable society” and the concept of “tang ping” on social media, which were crossed out in red to illustrate “reactionary information” in the VTV news report, also received several criticisms.
Thirdly, there was the detail about Vietnamese police officers standing guard, preventing people from placing flowers at the accident site and removing them.
Another fact: The New York Times published an article regarding the accident, noting that VTV did not respond to requests for comment; reporters were also unable to reach Ms. Lam Thi Phuong Thanh, while Mr. Cuong declined to speak by phone, citing a lack of time before hanging up.