Lam Dong (VNA) – The Lam Dong provincial Department of Public Security announced on November 24 that it has summoned six individuals for spreading false information about the recent natural disasters that caused public concern.
It said case files are being consolidated for handling in accordance with the law.
On November 23, the department summoned N.T.B.D, born in 1973 and residing in Don Duong commune, for questioning after she had posted a false claim on November 20 alleging that a water reservoir in Da Lat burst. The post, published at the height of heavy rainfall in the province, misled the public into believing the supposed “dam burst” was the cause of flooding in D’Ran commune.
The same day, five others were also summoned: N.Q.T (born in 1993), M.P.T (born in 2003), and L.T.N.N (born in 1993), all living in Xuan Huong – Da Lat ward; and N.T.H.L (born in 1995), residing in Lam Vien – Da Lat ward. All the four co-administer the “D.L” fanpage, which has 627,000 followers. The fifth person, T.V.T (born in 1996 and residing in Xuan Huong – Da Lat ward), is the administrator of the “D.L.R.V.C.T” fanpage with 18,000 followers.
They were summoned for posting false information on November 20 claiming that “fuel supplies for Da Lat will run out in one or two days”. Notably, the “D.L.R.V.C.T” page also shared an unverified message stating that “all passes have suffered landslides and ruptures – is this considered a disaster?”
At the police station, the individuals admitted that they had accessed incomplete information online and heard related rumours. Without verifying the accuracy, they rushed to post the claims, they said, in order to warn others and help them seek shelter. They also believed that due to prolonged heavy rain and landslide risks, fuel tankers would be restricted from entering Da Lat, prompting them to share the misleading alerts.
However, all the information they posted was false. The department stressed that community pages such as “D.L” and “D.L.R.V.C.T”, which have large followers, had spread misinformation that triggered public panic. This led to crowds rushing to buy and stockpile petrol and oil, resulting in localised shortages and heightening fire and explosion risks.
Police urged residents to remain vigilant when consuming information on social media, and to rely on official updates published by state agencies, press outlets, and verified communication channels. People were advised not to spread or share unverified content, particularly as AI-generated fake news is becoming more widespread.
Any act of posting or sharing fabricated or unverified information on storms, floods, or other natural disasters will be investigated and strictly handled in line with the law, the Department of Public Security added./.
