A Hà Nội content creator faces a massive fine of 10 million to 20 million Vietnamese đồng (approximately US$386–$772) for claiming that Grab drivers logged off en masse.
The Latest: Hà Nội police announced on Sept. 14 that they had fined Đ.X.H., a resident born in 1996 who operates a YouTube channel, for posting videos calling for Grab drivers to log off en masse.
- The videos claim to expose the truth behind cheap rides and report that drivers were distributing leaflets.
- The offense carries a fine of 10 million to 20 million Vietnamese đồng.
- According to authorities, the individual “admitted” to posting the content to attract engagement.
The Details: The Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department reported identifying multiple Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube accounts posting or sharing unverified information about Grab drivers logging off collectively on Sept. 12 and 13.
- Police noted that many of the detected posts utilized phrases such as “Grab drivers log off en masse,” “strike,” “Grab paralyzed,” and “all drivers stop working.”
Police cited Article 11, Clause 2, Point a of Decree 330/2026, issued on Aug. 19, 2026, as the legal basis for fining Đ.X.H.
- The provision penalizes “creating or disseminating false or unverified information that affects the lawful rights and interests of organizations and individuals and the online information environment.”
Following a meeting with the department, Grab stated that it had issued no notices on Sept. 12 or Sept. 13 instructing drivers that they could not log off on their own.
- The company maintained that operations continued as usual and that service quality, along with driver-partner activity metrics, remained stable.
The Background: The dispute originated in early September when Grab drivers in Facebook groups called for a coordinated “logoff” on Sept. 12 and Sept. 13 to protest what they described as unreasonable and opaque increases in commission rates.
- Drivers shared examples of unusually low earnings, with one driver stating:
“Grab is charging an extremely unreasonable fee. A ride costs 18,000 đồng, but the driver gets only 9,630 đồng. Minus a 3,000-đồng platform fee, even though the app already has the data. Minus a 2,000-đồng Ride Cover registration fee. Then there’s the issue of unauthorized ride recording. That puts the deductions for a single ride at around 40%–45%. What do fellow drivers think?”
In addition, Grab’s commission in Việt Nam has risen over the years since it entered the market in 2014.
- A 15% commission was introduced in early 2017, which increased to 20% by September 2017 and then to 23.6% in January 2018.
- At an unspecified point afterward, Grab reduced its commission to 20% before raising it again to 27.27% in December 2020.
Why It Matters: State media has previously used the exact same terminology now targeted by the police.
- In January 2018, Tuổi Trẻ ran the headline “GrabBike drivers strike to protest new commission rate” after hundreds of drivers protested outside Grab’s Hà Nội office to oppose an increase from 20% to 23.6%.
- In December 2020, VnExpress published “GrabBike drivers strike” as a similar protest unfolded over another rate increase.
- However, by 2026, police explicitly cited that same word as an indicator of content warranting legal enforcement.
Additionally, Grab holds 70% of Việt Nam’s ride-hailing app market, according to a 2024 survey by Decision Lab.
- Since mid-2024, Grab has utilized a “variable app usage fee” to calculate fares and deductions; the fee varies by ride, order, or timing, with Grab adjusting fares and its share accordingly.
- Some experts argue that the variable fee makes it difficult for drivers to determine their exact earnings from any individual ride.
Thành Phương wrote this news article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on September 14, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.
