Police Cleared the Flowers, but They Could Never Suppress Justice

Every year during graduation season at Hà Nội Bách Khoa (University of Science and Technology,) the base of the “Students Departing to Defend the Fatherland” monument fills with bouquets from graduating engineers. [1] These flowers honor a generation of students who set aside their studies and left the university for the battlefield: “We left bearing a solemn vow—not to return to Bách Khoa until the Americans were defeated.”

Regardless of any debates about the war, it is difficult to deny the beauty of that gesture. Just three months ago, during the university’s most recent graduation season, state media and social networks were filled with tributes to those memorial bouquets. [2]

However, elsewhere in Hà Nội, flowers left for the deceased have elicited a starkly contrasting reaction. At the “Justice Tree”—the site of a May 30, 2025, traffic crash that killed a female student—the story unfolded differently. [3]

Within a day of the first bouquets being placed beneath the tree, all the flowers sent from across the country were removed. [4] Even though the flowers had not yet wilted and the ink on numerous messages of grief had barely dried, everything was loaded onto a garbage truck. Police even assigned officers to guard the tree and turned away people who came to leave flowers. [5]

The different fates of these memorial bouquets reflect how authorities perceive and respond to the stories behind them.

A Culture of Commemoration

Remembering the deceased is deeply embedded in the social fabric of Việt Nam. Nearly every commune and ward features a monument, memorial stone, or commemorative space [6], with authorities often mobilizing public contributions to build them. [7]

Every year, countless commemorations are held for victims of wars, natural disasters, epidemics, and traffic crashes [8], and honoring traffic-crash victims has even become a regular activity in schools. [9]

Among the most common forms of remembrance is leaving flowers; people routinely present them at cemeteries, leave bouquets at monuments, or offer them alongside incense at the exact locations where individuals died. [10] [11] [12] 

Hence, bringing a roadside bouquet to the site of a fatal crash is a standard expression of grief, not something strange or unusual.

Việt Nam has no specific rules dictating when roadside memorial flowers must be cleared. Authorities manage public spaces through general regulations governing roads, sidewalks, and traffic safety under Decree 165/2024. [13]

However the authority to manage public areas does not necessitate the automatic removal of every memorial bouquet. This gives the public valid reason to question the rapid disappearance of the flowers at the Justice Tree, especially since there were no reports of them obstructing traffic or disrupting public order.

Perhaps what sets the Justice Tree apart is the underlying message attached to those flowers.

The Tale Behind the “Justice Tree”

“This is a prayer for you. You have not been forgotten. The law may be bent by power, but we act so that justice will be honored. […] Come and see. Come and pray in silence, in your own way.”

These words from a Threads user effectively capture the sentiment many hoped to express through the bouquets placed beneath the “Justice Tree.” [14] 

As the online community’s moniker for the site suggests, these flowers served as more than a memorial for the deceased. They provided the public with a tangible way to demand answers in a case that many believe remains unresolved.

This loss of public confidence stems from a fatal traffic crash on Nguyễn Huy Tự Street in Hà Nội on May 30, 2025. Over a year later, the incident suddenly garnered widespread online attention, particularly on Threads. Millions of related posts surfaced, keeping the topic trending for days as users alleged that former National Assembly deputy Nguyễn Sỹ Cương caused the crash but never faced criminal charges. [15]

Amid mounting anger and confusion, the movement to bring flowers to the site emerged as a visible method of urging authorities to investigate the truth. People began arriving at the “Justice Tree” on the afternoon of Aug. 13. By the following day, flowers completely covered the ground, but authorities promptly removed them.

There were no large slogans or massive crowds—only flowers and messages dedicated to a young woman whose life was cut short. Yet, by demanding transparency and accountability, these simple bouquets transformed into a quiet form of protest, distinguishing them entirely from standard memorial tributes.

Removing Flowers Will Not Erase Doubt 

Authorities can remove the flowers, and they can cut down the “Justice Tree.” However, they cannot uproot the questions already planted in the minds of hundreds of thousands of people.

The physical memorials were never the issue. A bouquet can be swept from a sidewalk just as easily as a social media post can be blocked. [16] Doubt, however, cannot be loaded onto a garbage truck or deleted with the press of a button. Consequently, citizens have already found numerous alternative methods to demand an investigation. [17]

Following the removal of the flowers, online discourse surged. By 2 p.m. Aug. 12, over 1 million posts regarding the case had surfaced; by midnight Aug. 15, Threads hosted 4 million posts linked to the phrase “Former National Assembly deputy caused a crash and fled.” The root of this anger is undeniable: the public feels that authorities have failed to provide a sufficiently clear and credible explanation for a fatal crash.

In this context, removing floral tributes only worsens the situation. It prompts a new, troubling question: if there is nothing to hide, why are simple memorial flowers forbidden? What should be resolved through transparent information has instead become needlessly complicated.

The public deserves a credible response. If the online allegations are true, authorities should confirm them; if false, they must explain why. If the suspected individual is uninvolved, officials should release verifiable evidence to clear their name. If facts remain unresolved, the investigation must continue with regular updates based on evidence.

While those who brought flowers may not possess the whole truth—and online allegations do not become facts simply through mass repetition—this situation is precisely why authorities and the press must intervene. They need to establish the truth, debunk falsehoods, and protect the victim’s family, Nguyễn Sỹ Cương, and the credibility of law enforcement.

Nevertheless, responsible authorities and state media maintain their silence. This is striking given that Việt Nam’s state agencies routinely monitor and penalize online activity. [18] Authorities have even fined individuals for sharing unsubstantiated ghost stories on Threads for allegedly causing “public confusion.” [19]

Authorities cannot feign ignorance of the millions of posts accusing Nguyễn Sỹ Cương. The Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism explicitly requested that related content be blocked, proving they are fully aware of the case’s reach. [20] This makes their ongoing silence and evasive actions even more unsettling.

Instead of clearing away public doubt, the authorities merely cleared away the physical space where people chose to express it.

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Trường An wrote this news article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on August 15, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.