In Vietnam, youth outrage has put the political system on trial

A fatal car crash and a censored rap album, seemingly unrelated and a year apart, have sparked what could be the largest revolt of Vietnam’s youth in living memory. Over the past ten days, millions have mobilised around the death of an 18-year-old student, caused by a former National Assembly deputy who walked away without charge. What began as isolated outrage has since put the country’s political system on trial.

On the evening of August 14, uniformed police cleared away bunches of flowers at the base of a tree near the centre of Hanoi. Later that night, groups of young people came back and laid more. Where these were removed, they started laying them at other trees and outside police stations. Then they started wearing white ribbons on their backpacks.

[1/2] On May 30, 2025, in Hanoi, Đỗ Ngọc Phương Thùy—an 18-year-old who had just finished her studies—was struck and fatally injured by a large BMW on Nguyễn Huy Tự Street. She passed away a few days later, on June 8.

What particularly outraged the Vietnamese public was the… pic.twitter.com/NszYKkxuuX— Viet Tan (@viettan) August 15, 2026

This tree – “Memorial tree 55” on Hanoi’s Nguyễn Huy Tự Street – is at the centre of a growing protest for gen Z in Vietnam. It marks the...

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