A state broadcaster’s attempt to close the book on a fatal traffic accident involving a former public official has instead opened a floodgate of public outrage.
The Latest: Following a nightly news broadcast by Vietnam Television (VTV) on Aug. 17, social media users on the platform Threads have launched a wave of criticism directed at the network and local authorities.
- Netizens raised what they described as a “hundred thousand whys” regarding the handling of a fatal car crash in Hà Nội, heavily questioning the framing of the report, the timeline of police evidence, and the apparent effort by the broadcaster to “bring the matter to a close.”
The controversy shows no sign of cooling as public scrutiny zeroes in on several glaring anomalies highlighted during the broadcast.
Lack of Empathy and Apologies: Threads users criticized the VTV report for failing to offer condolences.
User mr.*** wrote:
“Did anyone notice that VTV’s report today did not include a single word of comfort for the victim’s family? It did not mention the people who brought flowers to mourn the victim or share in the family’s loss. It focused solely on the exemption from prosecution, compliance with regulations and the family’s consent — trying at all costs to convince us that everything was handled correctly. […] It completely forgot to offer condolences to the victim’s family.”
User ayumi*** wrote emotionally:
“Mina [the victim’s nickname — ed.], I am sorry. It seems that what I have been doing over the past few days has torn open a wound in your parents’ hearts that had not yet healed — forcing them to speak in defense of the person who killed their daughter.”
User bct*** added:
“I know there is something fake and appalling about VTV’s interview with the victim’s father, but I cannot prove it.”
The Driver’s Absence: Nguyễn Sỹ Cương did not appear in the Aug. 17 broadcast.
User nuocvan*** noted:
“The victim’s father appeared to explain things on behalf of the person responsible, while that person did not appear for even a second. This tells us a lot about our society.”
User imthu*** raised a similar concern:
“The person who committed the offense did not appear at all — not even briefly — and offered no apology, despite being a former National Assembly deputy and a minister’s relative. As for the victim, VTV1 went to the family’s home to film them forgiving him and so on. There were also lawyers, prosecutors, police and journalists speaking out to criticize young people. […]”
Document and Timeline Discrepancies: Threads users scrutinized the physical documents shown on screen.
User kikido*** shared a screenshot of the “toxicology examination report” and asked:
“Why did the crash occur on May 30, 2025, while the alcohol test was conducted on May 31, 2025?”
User lendoi*** expanded on this:
“Do the relevant departments and agencies — including VTV — have so little regard for people following this story? The crash occurred at 1:15 p.m. on May 30, 2025, but the blood sample was not received for alcohol and drug testing until May 31, 2025? And the results were not issued until June 4, 2025.
All the other records identify him as Nguyễn Sỹ Cương, but the examination report says Nguyễn Sĩ Cương. This is a legal matter—how can officials accept that? Are we supposed to understand that the person who caused the crash and the person whose blood was tested were two different people? Please issue a correction.”
User azure compiled a list of documentary errors observed in the broadcast:
“(1) Under the forms commonly used today, an accident report should include the national identification number of the person who caused the crash. But as the image shows, Nguyễn Sỹ Cương’s identification number is missing;
(2) the report contains the misspelling ‘giao thong’;
(3) Nguyễn Sỹ Cương’s name is spelled ‘Sỹ’ in official documents, not ‘Sĩ’;
(4) the alcohol-testing device is incorrectly identified as ‘AloSense’ instead of ‘AlcoSense’;
(5) the section reading ‘at _____ on May 30’ does not state the time of the crash; and
(6) why was the sample not handed over until May 31?”
Questions Regarding the Cause of the Crash: Users questioned the physics of the accident.
User nanh*** wrote:
“If he had no alcohol in his system, why was he driving in the wrong lane — and how did he end up killing someone, VTV?”
User lehiu*** added:
“According to VTV, he was completely sober — without a trace of alcohol — and then, on an otherwise ordinary day, decided to crash into a tree on the opposite side of the road while his wife was in the car with him?”
User meimei*** asked:
“What I do not understand is this: If there were no drugs and no alcohol involved, how did he drive in a way that smashed a motorbike, caused devastating internal injuries, and severed someone’s leg? People should understand that the femur is an extremely strong bone.”
The Background: The public anger stems from a fatal collision that occurred on May 30, 2025, on Nguyễn Huy Tự Street in Hà Nội, resulting in the death of student Đỗ Ngọc Phương Thùy.
During the 19:00 evening news on Aug. 17, VTV confirmed that Nguyễn Sỹ Cương, a former deputy chair of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee, was driving the vehicle.
- According to the broadcast, members of the victim’s family appeared on camera to state they “agreed” with the investigation’s findings.
- Although authorities formally identified Cương as the driver responsible for the death, the report stated that he was “exempted from criminal liability.”
Hoàng Nam wrote this news article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on August 18, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.
