National
• 1 hour ago• Lim_Rothanaksambath
Former Vietnamese Politician Exempted from Prosecution After Fatal Car Crash That Killed Teenager
PHNOM PENH, August 19, 2026 – A former Vietnamese politician who unintentionally killed a teenager in a traffic accident in Hanoi last year has been exempted from criminal prosecution, a police officer told state television, in the first official acknowledgment of a case that has sparked months of online criticism .
The interview, broadcast on Monday evening, came days after people began leaving flowers at the site of the May 2025 accident, in what dissident and youth groups described as an act of protest. Authorities have accused "hostile forces" of exploiting the incident .
The driver, Nguyen Sy Cuong, is a former deputy chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee and the husband of a minister in the current government . Social media had circulated allegations linking him to the case for months before the official confirmation .
According to the police investigation, supported by prosecutors, Cuong struck a motorbike while driving in the wrong lane. He tested negative for alcohol and admitted responsibility for the accident .
Colonel Nguyen Duc Long, deputy chief of Hanoi police, said Cuong violated road-traffic regulations but was exempted from criminal liability due to mitigating factors. The victim's family also withdrew its complaint, according to Long .
PHOTO: VIETNAM TV/FACEBOOK/THE STRAITS TIMES
The victim, identified as Do Ngoc Phuong Thuy, was 18 years old at the time of her death. Her father, Do Viet Hung, expressed gratitude for public concern but said the matter was now resolved.
Authorities have warned against the exploitation of the case by "hostile and reactionary forces" to disrupt public order.
— Source: Reuters
Reported by The Khmer Daily Network
The interview, broadcast on Monday evening, came days after people began leaving flowers at the site of the May 2025 accident, in what dissident and youth groups described as an act of protest. Authorities have accused "hostile forces" of exploiting the incident .
The driver, Nguyen Sy Cuong, is a former deputy chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee and the husband of a minister in the current government . Social media had circulated allegations linking him to the case for months before the official confirmation .
According to the police investigation, supported by prosecutors, Cuong struck a motorbike while driving in the wrong lane. He tested negative for alcohol and admitted responsibility for the accident .
Colonel Nguyen Duc Long, deputy chief of Hanoi police, said Cuong violated road-traffic regulations but was exempted from criminal liability due to mitigating factors. The victim's family also withdrew its complaint, according to Long .
PHOTO: VIETNAM TV/FACEBOOK/THE STRAITS TIMESThe victim, identified as Do Ngoc Phuong Thuy, was 18 years old at the time of her death. Her father, Do Viet Hung, expressed gratitude for public concern but said the matter was now resolved.
Authorities have warned against the exploitation of the case by "hostile and reactionary forces" to disrupt public order.
— Source: Reuters
Reported by The Khmer Daily Network
