The Two Faces of Police in Việt Nam 

When a U.S. tourist lost a phone in Sài Gòn around noon, police had it recovered by that evening. However, a photo of ward police in Sài Gòn handing the device back to its owner drew approximately 7,300 interactions online, with more than 4,700 being mocking “haha” reactions. [1]

In a Threads post discussing the incident, users were quick to explain their amusement. [2] 

“Guess someone should start a service where foreigners report your lost stuff for you,” one commenter wrote. 

Another replied, “Meanwhile, my motorbike was stolen from my apartment building years ago, and they still haven’t found it.” 

Under another post regarding Đồng Nai City police returning a foreign tourist’s belongings, angry commenters chimed in. 

One commenter wrote, “Unless you pay the police, you can forget about them catching the thief,” while another stated, “Vietnamese people are now second-class citizens in their own homeland.” [3]

Recently, police Facebook pages have frequently highlighted officers returning lost items to foreigners. In June 2026, An Hải Ward police arrested a suspect less than 24 hours after a Kazakhstani tourist lost phones at Mỹ Khê Beach in Đà Nẵng. [4]

Another highly publicized case involved Maysaa, a Lao woman living in Việt Nam. After her phone was stolen on the evening of Oct. 11, 2025, she posted about it online; within hours, Ba Đình Ward police returned the device to her.

This raises a glaring question: Why do police pages broadcast these successes with foreigners, while Vietnamese citizens rarely receive the same attention?

For many locals, the reality of reporting a crime involves apathy or demands for bribes.

Nam*, a freelancer in Bà Rịa City, recounted having his motorbike stolen. He recalled:

“My motorbike was stolen from the sidewalk a few years ago. I went to the ward police to report it. Days passed and no one contacted me. I told my aunt because she knows a few people in the police. A few days later, they said they had found the bike. My aunt told me to ‘send a little coffee money’ to thank them.”

For Tâm, an office worker in District 4, Hồ Chí Minh City, their incident with the bribery involved missing registration papers:

“About a year ago, I lost my vehicle registration papers. I went to the ward police to report it, and they asked for 100,000 đồng to handle the case. When I asked why, they said they had to send my file to the city. It was coffee money so officers would put my file ahead of many others.” 

Other citizens have their concerns outright dismissed by the police.

Hoa*, an English teacher, recalled:

“When I was in 12th grade, my iPad was snatched in District 5 on my way to a tutoring class. My friend and I were so shocked that we went to the police. After hearing us out, the officer said, ‘Why weren’t you be more careful?’ Since then, I’ve had no hope.”

As a result, many victims no longer bother reporting crimes. Hải*, a freelancer who has been robbed and lost a phone, never went to the authorities because, as he put it, “I didn’t believe they would get anything back for me.” 

Despite this widespread distrust, property crime remains prevalent. According to the police ministry, Việt Nam recorded about 12,000 property theft cases in 2025. [5] Hồ Chí Minh City police alone reported 2,108 thefts in the city in 2024. [6]

In fairness, the police do return lost belongings to Vietnamese citizens. 

For example, on Jan. 3, 2026, the Phú Thọ provincial police website announced the return of a lost phone to Nguyễn Quang Lâm [7]; on Oct. 21, 2026, the Facebook page of Bình Đông Ward police in Hồ Chí Minh City shared that officers had found Nguyễn Như Ý’s phone. [8]

However, these are the cases the police choose to publicize. With no statistics comparing recovery rates for foreigners versus Vietnamese citizens, many assume that assistance depends heavily on the demographic and the area.

Using tourists for positive PR is nothing new. In 2016, police posted about returning belongings to a German tourist. [9] These posts attempt to cultivate a friendly image among both foreigners and locals. [10] Officially, a 2024 police ministry report claims that 96% of people were satisfied with their dealings with the police. [11]

Yet, public forums paint an entirely different reality. “In this country, even ordinary things become special,” a user commented on the Bình Đông Ward police Facebook page. [12] Another Threads user summarized the frustration: “One person getting their things back is a media event. A hundred people losing their things is just a statistic.” 

In a police state where authorities treat criticism as anti-state activity, silence becomes the safest option. The public instead expresses its eroded trust through mocking “haha” reactions. 

While there are no statistics to definitively prove the police favor foreigners over citizens, the effort to manufacture a friendly public image leaves the public uneasy. This stems from the blatant disconnect between the police force experienced in real life and the idealized version presented on Facebook. 

Keeping order, catching thieves, and returning stolen property are the basic duties of the police, not publicity events. [13] A country’s safety should not be measured by how it treats foreign guests but by whether anyone in trouble can rely on the police for fair treatment, regardless of their nationality.

(*Names have been changed to preserve anonymity.)

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Andy Nguyen wrote this op-ed article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on Nov. 4, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English. The Vietnamese Magazine’s op-ed articles do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of its editorial board.