Vietnam Ex-Lawmaker Avoids Charges in Teen's Fatal Crash

Hanoi police have publicly confirmed for the first time that a former senior politician was responsible for a traffic accident last year that killed an 18-year-old woman, but said he was legally exempted from prosecution.

The disclosure came in a state television interview broadcast on Monday evening, following months of online speculation and recent public demonstrations at the crash site. The driver, Nguyen Sy Cuong, a former deputy chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee and husband of a current government minister, was not identified in earlier reports.

Colonel Nguyen Duc Long, deputy chief of Hanoi police, stated that Cuong drove in the wrong lane and struck a motorbike, violating road-traffic regulations. He tested negative for alcohol and admitted responsibility. However, Long said Cuong was exempted from criminal liability due to mitigating factors, including the victim's family withdrawing their complaint.

The victim's father, Do Viet Hung, expressed gratitude for public concern but said the matter was resolved by investigators. His daughter, Do Ngoc Phuong Thuy, was 18 at the time of her death in May 2025.

Authorities have attributed the recent flower-laying at the site to "hostile forces" attempting to manipulate young people. Videos verified on social media show uniformed personnel preventing passers-by from leaving flowers. The police interview marks the first official acknowledgment of Cuong's involvement in the incident.