On 30/1, Thien, 27 years old, was tried by the People's Court Area 3, Ha Noi, for disturbing public order. Nguyen Long Vu, 24 years old, faced the same charge.

The trial had been postponed three days prior due to the absence of a witness.

Defendants Thien (left) and Vu at court on 30/1. Photo: Danh Lam

Defendants Thien (left) and Vu at court on 30/1. Photo: Danh Lam

According to the case details, at approximately 2:30 p.m. on 17/9/2025, at a coffee shop in a Ha Noi urban area, Thien was smoking. Minh, 29 years old, an employee and the owner's son, reminded him three times to stop.

After Minh's third reminder, Thien raised his hand, pointing upwards (implying a signal). Immediately, Vu stood up, walked to the cashier counter, and punched Minh, who was sitting at the bar, two times in the face, causing him to fall to the floor.

Thien again raised his hand, pointing upwards as a signal, then shouted, "Stop, stop, stop." Vu ceased his actions and returned to his seat. The group then left the premises.

The entire incident was recorded by the shop's security camera. The owner posted the video on social media and subsequently reported it to the police. The video depicting Thien and Vu's actions quickly went viral, garnering thousands of comments expressing public outrage.

'The "Tong tai" ordered it, so I hit him'

During the questioning phase, the court separated the two defendants to obtain objective testimonies. Regarding his relationship with the "tong tai", Vu stated he was attending a business class taught by Thien, establishing a "teacher-student" relationship.

Vu recounted that when they entered the coffee shop that day, Thien smoked, and Minh reminded him several times, which visibly agitated Thien.

"Do you think Minh's reminders were appropriate?", the court asked. Vu affirmed they were "appropriate" and then recounted Thien's command: "Go over there and slap that employee a few times." Upon hearing this, Vu stood up and repeatedly slapped and punched Minh, causing him to fall to the floor.

Later, when Thien told him "stop, stop, stop", Vu understood it as an order to cease, so he stopped and returned to his seat to drink. Approximately 15 minutes later, the group departed.

"If Thien had not intervened, would you have assaulted Minh?", the Trial Panel pressed. Vu firmly stated, "No."

Images of Thien gesturing, captured by security camera. Photo: Screen capture from video

Images of Thien gesturing, captured by security camera. Photo: Screen capture from video

"Tong tai" denies the charges

Thien was brought back into the courtroom and recounted the incident, claiming Minh reminded him two times, the first when he saw him smoking. "The second time, I heard the owner cursing, but I didn't know who they were cursing at," Thien stated, adding that at the time, he did not know what Minh's reminder was about.

"I woke up early and went to work early, so I was very tired that day; I didn't know who was fighting with whom," Thien, the "tong tai", said, asserting that when he was reminded, he did not show any attitude or respond, nor did he curse Minh as stated in the indictment.

The court reiterated Vu's earlier testimony: "When the owner reminded him for the third time, Thien told Vu, 'Go over there and slap that employee a few times.'" Vu was also called for confrontation, but Thien adamantly denied the accusation.

"When I heard a commotion inside the shop and my friends next to me said there was a fight, I raised my hand and said 'stop, stop, stop,' with the aim of preventing the altercation," Thien explained. The court questioned, "You didn't know who was fighting, but you told them to stop?"

Thien clarified that because he was facing the bar, he was aware of the fight and had intervened. The Trial Panel stated that the entire incident was recorded by the shop's camera, urging the defendant to reconsider his testimony. Thien claimed "many details in the clip are inaccurate."

The Trial Panel then showed the "tong tai" the extracted images and video from the shop with specific timestamps. The voices in the audio files recovered from the scene and analyzed by the investigative agency were concluded to be the defendant's voice.

At 10:55 a.m., during a break, defendant Thien vomited and appeared unwell.