A Facebook video reviewing ride-hailing apps has escalated into a criminal charge under Article 331.
The Latest: On Nov. 4, the Hồ Chí Minh City Police Investigation Agency charged and detained Trần Minh Thanh, 36, of Tân Sơn Nhì Ward.
- The charge is “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state and the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals” under Article 331 of the Penal Code.
- The arrest occurred 11 days after Thanh posted a nearly 10-minute video on his personal Facebook page on Oct. 24, in which he compared and reviewed ride-hailing apps.
The Details: Investigators stated that the case stems from a petition filed by Green and Smart Mobility JSC (GSM), which owns the Xanh SM brand.
- According to investigators, the video contains “much distorted and false content” that damaged the reputation of GSM.
- Thanh told investigators that he posted the video to attract viewers and make money from Facebook. However, his account did not yet qualify for platform payouts.
From HCMC Police: When announcing the case, Hồ Chí Minh City police warned that people who post or share fabricated or false information harming the reputation of organizations or individuals may face administrative fines or criminal prosecution, depending on the severity.
- However, in Thanh’s case, police did not explain why his conduct warranted criminal prosecution rather than an administrative fine.
- Additionally, state media and the agency holding Thanh have not said which parts of the video were allegedly false, and it is also unclear which clause of Article 331 he was charged under.
Failure to Contact: At 10 a.m. on Nov. 5, Luật Khoa emailed GSM with two questions:
- Which specific parts of the video the company considered false?
- What action it had asked the police to take.
As of 5 p.m. on Nov. 5, Luật Khoa had not received a response.
The Background: Thanh is not the first individual to face legal trouble after speaking out about the products or business of companies tied to Phạm Nhật Vượng, chairman of Vingroup.
- Since 2021, domestic and international media have documented at least three cases. Some people were reported to police by the companies, some were interrogated by police for days, and some faced civil lawsuits.
In May 2021, VinFast reported YouTuber Trần Văn Hoàng, who had 455,000 followers, to police.
- The report concerned videos in which he complained about the VinFast Lux A2.0 he had bought.
In late 2023, Hồ Chí Minh City police interrogated Trần Mai Sơn (Sonnie Tran) for about 35 hours over four days.
- Sơn often wrote posts questioning VinFast’s finances.
- He later left Việt Nam and sought political asylum.
In September 2025, Vingroup announced civil lawsuits against 68 organizations and individuals in Việt Nam and abroad for spreading false information about the group.
Thành Phương wrote this news article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on Nov. 5, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.
