A single person’s criticism of Vingroup has ignited a digital protest.
The Latest: The phrase “Stand with Chi” has become a trending phrase on the social media platform Threads following allegations of police intimidation.
- On the afternoon of Oct. 19, the account chi.travelgram posted that police had summoned her family after she spoke out against Vingroup projects in Cần Giờ, on the Hải Vân Pass, and in Hạ Long.
The Details: In the original post, she wrote:
“After thinking it over for days, I’ve decided to speak up. Vingroup is THREATENING me. My posts about Cần Giờ, Hải Vân, and Hạ Long all used official information from the press and environmental impact reports. Instead of making arguments to rebut them, they chose a more cowardly way: attacking me and my family to force me into SILENCE.”
On the same day, she told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that within a week, the Cybersecurity Department of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and the ward police where her family lives had twice summoned her mother.
- Chi, who does not currently live in Việt Nam, said that her mother asked whether she could decline to go but was still told to come in.
- According to Chi, the police asked her mother to sign a pledge not to write posts about Vingroup.
- This document was made in two copies, one kept by the Cybersecurity Department and the other by the ward police.
- Chi said that she has not seen what the pledge says.
As of about 9:15 a.m. on Oct. 20, Chi’s original post had drawn about 42,600 likes, 1,100 comments, 7,200 reposts, and 8,100 shares.
- Her account has since been switched to private.
Social Media Support: Since the evening of Oct. 19, many Threads accounts have posted in support of Chi, and the slogan “We stand with chi.travelgram” has reached the trending list.
- The “Trending” summary on Threads noted that many people were sharing messages of support for chi.travelgram after she said police had threatened her and pressured her into silence.
- Responding to comments demanding that Chi produce evidence, one account came to her defense. It argued that ordinary people are generally not allowed to record audio or video when dealing with police. It added that many people believe Chi because they “have followed a whole long struggle.”
Other users shared similar experiences of their own.
- The account gaeul*** said that a person in their residential area once kept their ballot and “voted on their behalf” in an election. After the user complained, three or four police officers came to their home, and one of them wrote the user’s statement for them, calling it a “mistake.”
- Many also urged others to follow chi.travelgram “so we can all support the people of Ba Vì together.”
- One account wrote in English, stating that Chi was threatened “for telling the truth about Vingroup destroying nature in Vietnam.”
- These posts drew about 1,000 to 1,800 likes each.
Why It Matters: This is not the first time such action has occurred.
- Mass removals of posts criticizing Vingroup have been recorded since mid-July.
- Many posts containing the keywords “Hải Vân Pass,” “Vingroup,” or “Vân village” were removed en masse from Threads, with the platform citing possible copyright infringement.
Furthermore, in September 2025, Vingroup also announced that it would sue 68 organizations and individuals in Việt Nam and abroad that it accused of spreading false information about the group.
- According to the statement, depending on the case, Vingroup would file civil lawsuits or report them to the competent authorities.
Thành Phương wrote this news article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on October 20, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.
