VinFast has a problem. The VF8 isn’t very good. In fact, it’s quite bad. That’s made it hard to convince actual people to buy its cars. If you live in Vietnam and happen to point that out, apparently VinFast’s solution is to simply call the cops on you, as Sonnie Tran, a social media influencer, recently found out the hard way, The Drive reports.
Tran apparently criticized VinFast repeatedly, raising questions about the company’s finances, suggesting it uses shell companies to hide debt, claiming it inflates its sales figures and suggesting that it didn’t actually use Pininfarina to design its vehicles. It’s also worth pointing out that he’s far from the only person making similar claims.
He has since been arrested and has reportedly been interrogated by Ho Chi Minh City police for 35 hours over four separate days. They’ve also apparently seized his electronic devices as they attempt to prove that there’s something more going on other than a guy publicly taking issue with a sketchy automaker owned by the biggest company in Vietnam.
This isn’t the first time VinFast has tried to use the law to silence critics, either. Back in 2021, the Vietnamese automaker went after YouTuber Tran Van Hoang when he posted a video complaining about his experience owning a VinFast. At the time, the company claimed Hoang’s complaints were made up to hurt its reputation and that its lawyers had “sufficient grounds to prove it is not just a normal complaint.”
VinFast also claimed it was taking action to “protect [its] reputation and [its] customers,” which is a little ridiculous when you consider just how bad the reviews of the VF8 have been. If VinFast is concerned about its reputation, maybe it should consider simply making better cars.