After Nguyễn Thành Nam’s arrest, public denunciations continue to target others, including Đinh Tiến Dũng (Cù Trọng Xoay), Nguyễn Thúy Hằng, Nguyễn Quang Thiều, and Lê Quốc Minh.
The Latest: On the evening of July 7, Hà Nội police charged and detained Nguyễn Thành Nam, author of Chuyện với Thanh (A Story with Thanh), and Trần Việt Anh, founder of the communications company Spiderum, which handled promotions for the book.
- The arrests follow days of public rumors.
- Authorities accuse the two of “making, storing, spreading, or propagandizing information, documents, or items aimed at opposing the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam.”
- Police stated that they are still “expanding the investigation” and will “strictly handle” related individuals.
The Details: The accusations were initiated by Phan Trung Can, a former soldier, who accused Nguyễn Thành Nam of having “insulted President Hồ Chí Minh.”
Can also stated that “as chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association, Nguyễn Quang Thiều must be held responsible for allowing the publisher to release Chuyện với Thanh.”
- “Connecting all the incidents together, was this a professional mistake in publishing and distribution, or was it Nguyễn Quang Thiều’s political intent to assist hostile forces in sabotaging the regime through the country’s literature? […]” Can wrote on his personal Facebook page.
- Can also targeted Đinh Tiến Dũng (“Professor” Cù Trọng Xoay), questioning how he could “stand outside this issue” after allegedly promoting the book and understanding “how dangerous the book’s contents were to society.”
Furthermore, the Facebook page “Chống luận điệu xuyên tạc,” boasting more than 72,000 followers, posted a list of individuals it claimed were connected to the case.
- The post garnered nearly 2,000 likes in two hours.
- The list includes:
- Nguyễn Thúy Hằng, director of the Writers’ Association Publishing House
- Nguyễn Quang Thiều, chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association
- Lê Quốc Minh, editor-in-chief of Nhân Dân newspaper
- Phạm Văn Hiếu, editor-in-chief of VnExpress
- Nguyễn Anh Vũ, editor-in-chief of Văn Hóa newspaper
Divided Public Opinion: Despite the denunciations, public opinion remains divided, with many expressing confusion on why Spiderum founder—Trần Việt Anh—was also accused under Article 117 of the Penal Code of “making, storing, spreading, or propagandizing information, documents, or items aimed at opposing the state.”
- Facebook user Trần Tiến stated: “[…] I have known Việt Anh for nine years now. Over those nine years, I visited his home many times, met with the Spiderum team, and occasionally had coffee or meals with him. I don’t know what you have read on social media, but if you ask me, I can say with certainty that Việt Anh has not the slightest desire to be involved in the offense for which he has been charged. Not the slightest means that even unintentionally, he would not want that, and he has always been in the group supporting the current regime.”
- Another user, Sang Đỗ, wrote: “I know Trần Việt Anh, the founder of Spiderum, very well. He is a talented young man with vision, an honest nature, and a pure love of knowledge.”
- The account added: “Việt Anh may have broken the law, but I guarantee it was because he is politically naive to the point of foolishness. In everyday life, Việt Anh rarely discusses history or politics because he is almost completely ignorant of those topics. He is only good at modern media communications. I believe Trần Việt Anh simply wanted to increase views and followers for the channel and ‘chose the wrong partner.’ […] I respectfully hope the authorities investigate and clarify the matter and handle the right person for the right offense to build public trust.”
About Chuyện với Thanh: Published in 2026 by the Writers’ Association Publishing House, Chuyện với Thanh reconstructs the journey of Hồ Chí Minh—then known as Nguyễn Tất Thành—during his years abroad.
- The novel is structured as a dialogue between a teacher named Thành and Thanh, a Gen Z student who is indifferent to history.
- The book quickly drew divided reactions and faced accusations of “rewriting history,” “insulting President Hồ Chí Minh,” and “insulting the Vietnamese nation” for its unconventional storytelling.
- The backlash was largely driven by individuals who were previously prominent in denunciations over The Sorrow of War and the Trương Vĩnh Ký event, including Can and Lt. Gen. Nguyễn Thanh Tuấn.
Timeline of Events:
June 10: The Writers’ Association Publishing House issued an apology, stopped distribution, and recalled the book.
June 15: The publisher was suspended for two months and fined 100 million đồng for publishing “very serious false content.”
June 19: Trần Thành Trọng, a member of the Hồ Chí Minh City People’s Council, criticized Chuyện với Thanh during the council’s third session and called for “criminal handling” of Nguyễn Thành Nam.
June 26: The Ministry of Education and Training instructed universities to provide detailed reports on information related to inviting Nguyễn Thành Nam to “teach, guest lecture, present specialized reports, participate in talks, give speeches or take part in other academic activities, if any,” including activities that had or had not yet taken place.
July 7: Hà Nội police charged and detained Nguyễn Thành Nam and Trần Việt Anh.
Thành Phương wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on July 8, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine has the copyrights to the English translation.
