International
Ex-Vietnamese Official Avoids Charges After Fatal Car Crash
PHNOM PENH, August 19, 2026 – A former Vietnamese politician who killed a teenager in a traffic accident last year will not face criminal charges, police have confirmed in the first official statement on a case that has drawn widespread online attention.
Nguyen Sy Cuong, a former deputy chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee and husband of a current government minister, struck a motorbike while driving in the wrong lane in Hanoi in May 2025. He tested negative for alcohol and admitted responsibility, according to police.
Police said Cuong was exempted from prosecution due to mitigating factors, and that the victim's family had withdrawn its complaint. The victim, 18-year-old Do Ngoc Phuong Thuy, died in the crash.
The case has sparked months of social media criticism, and authorities have accused "hostile forces" of exploiting the incident to disrupt public order. The victim's father, Do Viet Hung, thanked the public for their concern but said the matter was now resolved.
— Source: Reuters
Reported by The khmer Today