This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
Police in the Vietnamese city of Da Nang fined a resident 30 million dong (about US$1,200) for suggesting on social media that the country’s first president Ho Chi Minh had many illegitimate children, state media reported.
On Monday, the People’s Public Security online newspaper reported that the Da Nang Police’s Department’s Cyber Security and High-tech Crime Prevention Division had issued the fine to a 20-year-old man identified by his initials VBC, for “insulting the nation, historical figures and national heroes.”
The report said he had used his TikTok account “Bảo Châu ThebigBat” (@baochaubatman) to made statements and comments insulting to the late president in an online chatroom, but did not provide further details. The act wasn’t considered serious enough for criminal prosecution, it said.
Another TikTok account believed to be VBC‘s, “Bảo Châu Zabigbat” Wednesday posted page 2 of what appears to be an official document provided to him when the fine was issued.
The document, which does not have an official seal but initials, explained that VBC said in an online chat room that Ho “must have had children out of wedlock to have so many grandchildren.”
Radio Free Asia could not verify the document and attempts to contact VBC went unanswered.
According to the newspaper report, VBC admitted his violation after being summoned. In addition to the fine, authorities ordered him to delete all content flagged as unlawful from his TikTok account.
When RFA contacted the Da Nang Police Department to verify the information, a staff member confirmed the incident but did not provide additional details.
Currently, the offending TikTok account “Bảo Châu ThebigBat,” only contains posts about gym workouts. However, the other account, “Bảo Châu Zabigbat,” has posts criticizing Vietnam’s education system, saying it is “backward.”
Late last year, another TikToker, Nờ Ô Nô was also fined 30 million dong for making and posting videos on TikTok that asked users to decide who they liked better. Ho Chi Minh or TikTok celebrities Hoang Mobi and Le Tuan Khang.