A television channel run by Việt Nam’s Ministry of Public Security is facing a legal dispute after airing a report about artist Vượng Râu.
Why It Matters: ANTV’s entire segment on Vượng Râu was based only on the channel’s own assessment of his social media posts and activities. It did not include any response from him.
What is Happening: On May 26, Nguyễn Quốc Vượng, known by his stage name Vượng Râu, posted on his personal Facebook page a legal notice prepared by Hà Lan and Associates Law Office in Hà Nội, a firm that represents him.
The notice concerns a report titled “The Truth Perspective: Freedom of Speech and the Manipulation of Anti-State Actors,” aired by People’s Public Security Television, or ANTV, on May 21.
In the notice, Vượng’s legal representatives said that part of the report contained “presumptive, accusatory, and malicious images and commentary” about their client and that these claims were unverified and lacked a factual basis.
The notice also said that on May 25, Vượng sent a formal request to ANTV’s editorial board demanding that the broadcaster immediately remove the report, correct false information, and issue a public apology under the Press Law.
The document also warned social media users not to follow public opinion by posting or sharing content that insults Vượng.
The Background: On the afternoon of May 21, ANTV’s YouTube channel posted a report titled “The Truth Perspective: Freedom of Speech and the Manipulation of Anti-State Actors.” The report was later renamed “Vượng ‘Râu’ — A Clown Who Manipulates and Distorts History to Oppose the Country.”
By the morning of May 22, ANTV had released the report on Facebook. Several other newspapers and channels also reposted its content.
In the report, the segment on Vượng runs from 1:59 to 4:28. ANTV said that his personal page occasionally published “vulgar, inflammatory, and resentful posts.” Additionally, ANTV cited several of Vượng’s previous posts, including one that questioned why no protests had taken place despite tensions in the South China Sea.
In that post, Vượng said that the reason there were no protests was that “patriotism had been betrayed” and that people who had previously taken to the streets were labeled reactionaries and arrested, leaving them indifferent to current affairs. The post has since been removed.
ANTV said that the protest-related post was not the first time Vượng had publicly displayed what it called “reckless speech” on the country’s political and social issues. The channel also claimed that Vượng’s “vulgarity, lack of culture, and anti-educational behavior” were reflected not only in his performances but also in his “poor political awareness.”
It called him a “clown” and accused his posts of “manipulating, swapping concepts, distorting history, and smearing the image of national heroes,” accompanied by a screenshot of Vượng’s comment that Võ Thị Sáu should not be deified.
ANTV also emphasized that Vượng had ties to several “reactionary and politically hostile individuals.” To support this claim, they cited Vượng’s 2016 self-nomination for the National Assembly alongside Dr. Nguyễn Quang A and singer Mai Khôi. The channel also said Vượng had repeatedly posted photos of himself with people it described as opponents of the party and state.
ANTV concluded that freedom of speech is a right, but that people must not speak arbitrarily, distort history, incite division within the national unity bloc, or oppose the country. The channel said that people like Vượng should train themselves to become genuine artists, rather than turn themselves into tools manipulated by “hostile forces.”
Who is Vượng Râu? Nguyễn Công Vượng, known by his stage name Vượng Râu, was born in 1980 in Nam Định, now part of Ninh Bình.
He is a well-known comedian who has appeared in many skits and television programs, including “Cười Cái Sự Đời,” “Gala Bắc Nam Cùng Cười,” and “Chuyện Thông Gia.” He has also worked as a director, screenwriter, and producer for comedy shows and major music programs.
In 2005, he founded his own entertainment company, Nụ Cười Vàng Entertainment, or NCV Studio. He also runs a YouTube channel, Mr. Vượng Râu TV, with nearly 510,000 subscribers.
On his personal Facebook pages, Nguyễn Vượng (Mr. Vượng Râu), which has more than 260,000 followers, and Mr. Vượng Râu, with more than 819,000 followers, Vượng has posted and shared commentary on Việt Nam’s political and social issues. His views mainly focus on political problems and disputes over historical narratives in Việt Nam. The protest-related post cited by ANTV is one example.
In 2016, Vượng nominated himself as a candidate for the 15th National Assembly, saying he wanted to “create positive changes in culture and education.” However, he and many other self-nominated candidates did not pass the consultation process. Some newspapers even said that his self-nomination was inappropriate because “the National Assembly is not a chèo theater troupe.”
Worth Noting: People’s Public Security Television, or ANTV, is a television channel under Việt Nam’s Ministry of Public Security. Its programming focuses on current affairs, security, public order, and other propaganda and educational content.
ANTV officially began broadcasting in 2011. In 2010, then-Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng approved the policy to establish the channel.
The channel operates across multiple platforms, including its website, Facebook page with more than 3 million followers, YouTube channel with more than 8.15 million subscribers, and digital television systems.
ANTV has previously released videos warning against opposition to the party and state, while criticizing and attacking prominent activists and dissidents such as Lê Trung Khoa and Nguyễn Văn Đài, as well as other writers and intellectuals.
What People are Saying: ANTV’s report and Vượng’s legal notice have split public opinion. One side supports ANTV’s report, while the other backs Vượng’s legal action and criticizes the channel’s content production.
A Facebook account named Dung Anh Lê wrote that Vượng was “a person with political problems.” The user said Vượng had failed to improve his professional abilities and instead “entered the democracy circle,” going online to “distort history and write anti-state posts.”
Another account, Kim Khanh Nguyễn, said Vượng would “lose everything” if he sued ANTV. The user said it was delusional for Vượng to demand that a television channel under the People’s Public Security remove its content and apologize.
A Facebook group named “Boycott Vượng Râu, the Reactionary Clown” was also recently created. It has more than 50 members and is dedicated to attacking the artist.
On the other hand, many people have expressed support for Vượng Râu’s legal action, including Dr. Vũ Hoàng Linh. On his Facebook page, Linh shared Vượng’s legal notice and said he supported the artist.
Linh also said that ANTV was increasingly producing “cheap and vulgar reports that violently attack citizens,” using insulting terms such as “guy” and “clown” and crossing out the faces of many public figures, intellectuals, and artists, including Bảo Ninh and Nguyên Ngọc, “as if they were criminals, even though they are free citizens who have not violated the law.”
Linh added that ANTV has no right to place itself above the law and publicly insult citizens, saying such conduct violates Article 331 of the Penal Code.
Lê Sáng wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on May 27, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine has the copyrights of the English translation.
