Vietnam Police Explain Ex-Politician’s Fatal Crash After Online Outcry

Vietnamese police have publicly addressed a fatal traffic accident involving a former National Assembly official, more than a year after the crash sparked renewed anger and calls for accountability online.

Police said former National Assembly deputy Nguyen Sy Cuong unintentionally killed an 18-year-old girl in a May 2025 crash in central Hanoi but was exempted from criminal prosecution after investigators found mitigating circumstances.

The official explanation came after the case resurfaced on social media, with young Vietnamese users sharing posts about the accident and leaving flowers at the site where the teenager was killed. Reuters reported that the renewed campaign has generated rare public criticism in the tightly controlled country.

According to a report aired by Vietnam Television (VTV), Cuong’s vehicle crossed into the wrong lane and collided with a motorcycle carrying the teenage girl and her father. Police said Cuong tested negative for alcohol and admitted responsibility for the crash.

Colonel Nguyen Duc Long, deputy chief of Hanoi police, said investigators determined that Cuong had violated road-traffic regulations. However, he was exempted from criminal liability because of mitigating factors.

Police also said the victim’s family withdrew its complaint, a development that contributed to the decision not to pursue criminal prosecution.

The teenager, identified in public funeral records as Do Ngoc Phuong Thuy, was 18 when she died. Her father, Do Viet Hung, appeared in the VTV report and thanked people who had expressed concern, saying the family considered the matter resolved by the authorities.

The accident had largely disappeared from Vietnam’s mainstream media after the crash in May 2025. It returned to public attention in August 2026 when social media users began sharing details of the case and demanding greater transparency.

Flowers were placed near a tree at the crash site, which online users began referring to as a “Justice Tree.” Videos verified by Reuters showed people in uniform preventing some members of the public from leaving flowers at the location.

The renewed attention has also fuelled a broader debate among younger Vietnamese people over transparency and equal treatment under the law. Analysts cited by regional media said the prolonged lack of public information helped drive the latest online campaign.

Authorities, however, have warned against what they described as attempts by “hostile forces” to exploit the accident to influence young people and disrupt public order.

The case has consequently become more than a traffic accident, with the official explanation now drawing attention to questions about how authorities handled the investigation and why information about the case remained largely unavailable to the public for more than a year.