Nguyễn Sỹ Cương and the Telling Silence of Hà Nội Police

Whether or not an investigation is underway, the Hà Nội police are still obligated to issue a public decision regarding Nguyễn Sỹ Cương.

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Public interest surrounding him surged on Aug. 12, when the phrase “Nguyễn Sỹ Cương drove a BMW and caused an accident” became a top trending keyword on Threads in Việt Nam, accumulating over 1 million posts. [1] 

Born in Hà Nội in 1961, Cương served as a National Assembly deputy for two terms (2011–2021). He is the former deputy chair of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee and chair of the Vietnam–Turkey Parliamentary Friendship Group. He is also married to Lâm Thị Phương Thanh, a current Communist Party Central Committee member and Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. [2]

Netizens have accused him of causing a horrific and fatal crash on May 30, 2025, on Nguyễn Huy Tự Street in Hà Nội. The accident left one person seriously injured and another dead, yet he has not faced investigation or trial. 

On May 31, 2025, the press reported that “the case of a BMW severing a female student’s leg” was received and accepted by the Investigative Police Agency of the Hà Nội Police, though they only identified the suspect by the initials N.S.C. [3]

Tragically, on June 8, 2025, after more than a week in the hospital, 18-year-old T. passed away just before she was scheduled to sit for her high school graduation exam. 

To date, Cương, the Hà Nội Police, and the state press remain silent on the matter.

Hà Nội Police Violated Procedural Rules

More than a year after the incident, the Investigative Police Agency of the Hà Nội Police has not issued or disclosed any procedural decision regarding the accident. Furthermore, no individual has been held responsible.

This inaction appears to conflict with Article 147 of the 2015 Criminal Procedure Code. According to the law, the investigating agency must examine the matter and issue a decision within 20 days of receiving a denunciation, crime report, or recommendation to prosecute. The agency is required to issue one of the following: a decision to initiate a criminal case, a decision not to initiate a criminal case, or a decision to temporarily suspend the handling of the matter. [4]

Even if the case involves complex factors, the agency is only permitted to extend the deadline twice, reaching a maximum limit of four months. Regardless of whether the investigation continues after that deadline, the law requires a formal written decision.

Instead, the case has seemingly “sunk,” with total silence from both the Hà Nội Investigative Police Agency and the Ministry of Public Security.

Additionally, Articles 143, 144, and 145 of the 2015 Criminal Procedure Code establish the role of agencies in recommending prosecution. This includes the People’s Procuracy, which exercises prosecutorial authority and supervises procedural implementation. Despite this mandate, no recommendation has been forwarded to the Hà Nội Police to date.

Does Cương Have Immunity From Prosecution?

No, he does not.

According to Article 37 of the 2014 Law on Organization of the National Assembly, immunity is granted to a National Assembly deputy exclusively during their active time in office, under these specific conditions: [5]

“1. A National Assembly deputy may not be arrested, detained, held in custody, or prosecuted, or have his or her residence or workplace searched without the consent of the National Assembly or, when the National Assembly is not in session, without the consent of the National Assembly Standing Committee. 

Requests to arrest, detain, hold in custody, prosecute, or search the residence or workplace of a National Assembly deputy fall under the authority of the Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuracy. 

If a National Assembly deputy is temporarily detained for committing a crime, the detaining agency must immediately report the incident to the National Assembly or the National Assembly Standing Committee for consideration and decision. 

A National Assembly deputy may not be dismissed, removed from office, forced to resign, or fired by the agency, organization, or unit where the deputy works without the consent of the National Assembly Standing Committee.”

Since Cương’s tenure as a National Assembly deputy officially concluded in 2021, he is now a private citizen. Hence, Nguyễn Sỹ Cương no longer possesses any form of legal immunity.

Questions Over the Judiciary’s Credibility

Looking back, Nguyễn Sỹ Cương once forcefully defended the judiciary’s credibility on the floor of the National Assembly. 

On June 15, 2020, Lưu Bình Nhưỡng stated that “never has trust in Việt Nam’s judiciary been as low as it is now” during a discussion about the wrongful conviction of death-row prisoner Hồ Duy Hải. [6] [7] 

In response, Cương criticized these remarks as unfounded and labeled them a “blanket denial of the judiciary.” [8]

Ironically, Nhưỡng is now serving a 13-year prison sentence for “extortion of property” and “abusing position and power to influence others for personal gain,” whereas Cương has yet to be investigated for allegedly causing a fatal crash. [9]

Furthermore, Cương’s situation is not an isolated incident. 

On Sept. 4, 2024, a traffic accident in Vĩnh Long Province claimed the life of a 14-year-old female student. Police in the former Trà Ôn District twice refused to initiate a criminal case for various reasons, allegedly because the driver had family ties to the district police chief. 

The case faded from public view until Jan. 13, when Nguyễn Hoàng Thắng, deputy head of the Investigative Agency of the Supreme People’s Procuracy, ordered the resumption of the crime report. This order addressed allegations that the former Trà Ôn District Police committed the offense of “failing to prosecute a person who committed a crime.” 

Eventually, on July 25, the Investigative Police Agency of the Vĩnh Long Province Police concluded their investigation and recommended prosecuting the driver, Nguyễn Văn Bảo Trung, for violating road traffic regulations. [10]

A similar pattern emerged in early 2026 when Nguyễn Văn Sáu was prosecuted by the Hà Nội Police for “violating regulations on road traffic participation” under Article 260 of the 2015 Penal Code. [11] The crash left one person dead, two seriously injured, and damaged five cars and three motorbikes. 

Prior to the prosecution announcement, this case had also gone quiet for three months. At the time of the accident, Nguyễn Văn Sáu was recognized as a former deputy director of the Environmental Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security, holding the rank of colonel.

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Lê Giang wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on August 13, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.