School teacher detained after criticising Vietnamese car brand – report
A school teacher who criticised a Vietnamese start-up and its conglomerate online has reportedly been detained by the government, after being allegedly in violation of the country’s freedom-of-speech laws.
Photo Credit: Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images
A school teacher has been reportedly detained in Vietnam by police after his online criticisms of the country's start-up car maker VinFast – and its parent company Vingroup – were allegedly found to be in violation of the country’s 'freedom-of-speech' laws.
According to a report by US website InsideEVs, Ho Chi Minh City resident Tran Mai Son – who used the name 'Sonnie Tran' on Facebook – was a social media user with a known history of publishing VinFast’s operational problems online.
A Vietnamese court document obtained by InsideEVs allegedly claimed Mr Tran “and another person close to him” previously spoke with the Ministry of Public Security “to respond to some content related to Vingroup’s complaint”.
An unnamed source told InsideEVs Mr Tran was allegedly detained and is being investigated for his criticisms of VinFast after authorities reportedly deemed his online content had negative impacts on the company – which is considered an offence under local laws.
The regulation states: "Any person who abuses the freedom of speech, freedom of the press … and other democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State, lawful rights, and interests of organisations and/or citizens" can face a maximum penalty sentence of 36 months imprisonment and/or three years community service.
A previous post on a VinFast Reddit forum – translated to English – claimed Mr Tran was allegedly "kidnapped by a group of four young men” on 18 December 2023 and was “locked up for more than 24 hours until 9:00pm on December 19” before being released.
The anonymous Reddit user said the group involved in Mr Tran's reported abduction "threatened Son to remove all articles about VinFast on his personal page and threatened [him] to be imprisoned."
The InsideEVS report claimed Mr Tran's investigations focused on "certain claims and issue critiques based on less widely known, but publicly available information about the development and quality of VinFast’s products, as well as Vingroup’s business operations."
Additionally, the publication verified the information on some of Mr Tran's most popular findings – which included allegations that the Vietnamese car maker made and developed its vehicles in facilities belonging to overseas companies.
Mr Tran previously posted a financial document from Tata Technologies – a subsidiary of automaker Tata Motors – in which it stated VinFast used its services in the vehicle's architectural and electronic development in some of its models.
"Recently, Tata's IPO filing in India revealed that they are turnkey developers of the VF6, [VF7, VF8, and VF9] car models for VinFast based on Tata's eVMP platform," Mr Tran previously wrote.
Vietnamese news outlet VOA Vietnam claimed Mr Tran voiced his opinions about VinFast in his articles "to provide information for investors to consider, consider risks and make decisions."
The publication claimed police questioned Mr Tran's motives behind sharing his findings online and whether an unknown organisation or group influenced his decision – with his electronic devices confiscated by authorities.
VOA Vietnam claims some of his articles were uploaded to his Facebook page and shared with 3000 followers and 1000 friends – as well as a Facebook group named 'Financial Uncoverings' which has approximately 176,000 members.
Drive hasn't been able to verify this report as Mr Tran's Facebook profile and posts are not available on the social media platform.
VinFast officials admitted this is not the first time they have pursued legal action over individual negative allegations about the company.
In an email exchange with Inside EVS, a VinFast spokesperson said: "In the past, VinFast filed a complaint against an individual for sharing false information about a VinFast gasoline model, severely damaging the customer confidence and brand reputation."
The spokesperson further claimed VinFast "complied with legal guidance and regulations" through the complaint filing process and any information relating to Mr Tran's situation "has been transparently published" on official VinFast media channels and the mass media.
As reported by Drive in May 2021, a YouTube user with 455,000 subscribers was previously forced to remove a video criticising issues with his VinFast car.
The Vietnamese car maker has not specified if the latest alleged detainment and interrogation were carried out by police or government officials on behalf of the company.
When asked about their involvement in the complaint filing against Mr Tran, a VinFast spokesperson told InsideEVs: "For matters within the jurisdiction of the authorities, Vingroup/VinFast, or any other organisation or individual, has no right to interfere."
VOA Vietnam reached out to Mr Tran following his release from police custody, but he declined to comment "because he did not want to get into any more trouble."
VinFast currently lists the Lang Lang proving ground for sale – located in Melbourne's south-east – having purchased the facility after General Motors shut down Holden's local manufacturing division.
2025 Porsche Macan electric: Stuttgart’s biggest gamble yet
Video: Pagani Utopia filmed driving through floodwater in Dubai
