Vietnam ex-MP faces no charges in fatal crash

Vietnamese authorities defended a decision not to prosecute former National Assembly member Nguyen Sy Cuong over a fatal car crash, after days of online outrage.

A state television broadcast on Monday night confirmed that Nguyen Sy Cuong was the driver in the May 30, 2025 crash in Hanoi that killed an 18-year-old woman and injured her father.

VTV said Nguyen Sy Cuong was not prosecuted because the victim's family chose not to press charges. The programme showed the woman's father, Do Viet Hung, speaking with his face obscured and backing the official handling of the case.

“We have no complaints, nor do we have any reservations or questions regarding how the investigative agency handled our family's case,” he said. He also urged people to drop the issue and avoid being swayed by what he called “reactionary elements”.

According to the VTV broadcast, the police investigation concluded the accident was caused by Nguyen Sy Cuong driving in the wrong lane and on the wrong side of the road. Prosecutor Ngo Hong Son told the programme that Nguyen Sy Cuong had a valid driver's licence, had no alcohol in his system and met the criteria for exemption from criminal prosecution.

Nguyen Duc Long, deputy director of Hanoi city police, said Nguyen Sy Cuong had admitted his actions, worked to remedy the consequences and that the victim's family had asked for criminal prosecution to be waived.

Discussion of the crash spread widely online in recent weeks. Some users alleged the driver was drunk, while others complained posts had been removed. Flowers left at the crash site were also removed, and security officials were deployed to prevent further tributes.

A Ministry of Public Security spokesman said authorities had detected plots by hostile forces, reactionaries and bad actors to incite unrest. The broadcast sparked further criticism online, with users questioning why Nguyen Sy Cuong was not being held criminally accountable.

Nguyen Sy Cuong is a former vice chairman of the National Assembly's foreign affairs committee. His wife is Vietnam's culture, sports and tourism minister.