A social media post from Hồ Chí Minh City Police, meant to highlight a successful drug operation, has singled out a transgender resident—inviting gender-based mockery despite her negative drug test.
The Latest: On Sept. 21, the Hồ Chí Minh City police’s Drug Prevention and Control Facebook page posted a photograph of a long-haired resident identified as B.Đ.T., born in 1990, alongside the information “Sex: Male.”
- The agency also added a comment beneath the post that read: “Mr. T.”
- By Sept. 25, B.Đ.T.’s photograph had been hidden or removed from the post.
The Photograph: The controversial photograph was part of a broader post detailing how Hồ Chí Minh City police had dismantled eight drug trafficking rings and arrested 126 people.
- However, in the photograph, B.Đ.T. was holding a drug test showing a negative result.
- It remains unclear whether B.Đ.T. faces any charges or was simply someone connected to the investigation.
- Furthermore, it is also unclear why the agency chose to publish an individual photograph of B.Đ.T. while choosing not to do so for the other people involved.
Most comments beneath the agency’s post mocked B.Đ.T.’s appearance and gender identity. (Luật Khoa is not reproducing these comments.)
- About four hours after publication, the post had received 2,400 likes, 1,100 comments and 67 shares.
Public Pushback: On Sept. 24, the account Anh chàng kiệm lời published a post criticizing the Hồ Chí Minh City police.
- The author argued that the police page had “turned a transgender woman’s gender into a point of interest” and, among the 126 people arrested, had “chosen a transgender woman as bait for engagement.”
- Addressing the comments beneath the original police post, the author noted that the agency had “allowed hundreds of derogatory, abusive, and degrading comments to remain publicly visible without taking any protective action.”
- The author further questioned how such treatment might make transgender people hesitate to seek legal protection, asking: “What guarantee is there that they will be treated with even basic respect?”
By the afternoon of Sept. 25, this critical post had received more than 13,000 reactions, 1,400 comments and 1,500 shares.
- In the comments section, an account named Phạm Ái***, identifying as a transgender user, wrote: “As a transgender person who lives and works in accordance with the law, thank you for speaking up for a vulnerable community.”
- Another account, Nguyen***, stated that they had unfollowed the police page due to its “unserious presentation of information by an agency that needs to take its work seriously.”
Why It Matters: The Facebook page belongs to the Drug Crime Investigation Division, known as PC04, which spearheaded the drug operation.
- In May 2026, Lt. Col. Nguyễn Tiến Nam, the division’s deputy head, discussed changes to the page’s communications approach. He described a shift from one-way announcements toward storytelling and greater interaction, using accessible language to make information easier to understand, particularly for young people.
However, the agency’s willingness to invite and allow public mockery highlights a double standard regarding its own guidelines.
- On May 21, Hồ Chí Minh City police warned against disparaging, defaming and insulting others online.
- The agency stated that such conduct could result in administrative penalties or criminal prosecution, depending on its nature and severity.
Thành Phương wrote this news article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on September 25, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.
