On October 31, a post appeared on social media at around 7:00 p.m. on October 30, 2025, in the lobby of apartment building 17T2 Trung Van (Cuong Kien Street, Dai Mo Ward, Hanoi) about a 10th grade student who is a resident of a building being approached and lured by a subject impersonating an officer of the armed forces.
The article also described the student as "cksitable and determined not to follow scammers", and said that the family had asked the Management Board and the Building Management Board to report to the ward police to clarify the incident.
On the same afternoon, speaking with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Phan Dinh Duong - Head of the Management Board of buildings 17T1 and 17T2 Trung Van said that through extracting security cameras and working with relevant parties, the " reported kidnapping" incident was not real.
According to Mr. Duong, on the afternoon of October 30, a man living in a building next door was stuck in the car's windows, so he asked the child for help. Because he was worried that the child would not trust him, this person showed his industry card, but the child did not agree. Some people who witnessed this scene from afar misunderstood it as kidnapping, then spread it on social networks.
"This man said the car door was jammed, the adults could not get in and unlock it, so he asked the child to help because the child's hand was smaller. The act of asking for help in the wrong circumstances has caused many people to misunderstand it," said Mr. Duong.
A representative of the Building Management Board said that some residents who have not verified the information have posted it to the apartment group and shared it online, causing public confusion.
The incident was a misunderstanding. The child's family posted information with the purpose of warning and instructing on how to handle similar situations, but no kidnapping ever occurred, Mr. Duong affirmed.
Mr. Duong also said that the Management Board regularly posts warning information about security and order on residents' Zalo and Facebook groups to raise vigilance. After this incident, the unit will verify carefully before sharing, to avoid causing unnecessary misunderstanding and confusion.
Ms. Trinh Thi Huyen My, a receptionist at building 17T2 (Group Joint Stock Company...) and also one of the people who extracted the camera to confirm that the man mentioned above was an officer of the armed forces and a resident of the neighboring building.
"According to the security camera and the child's story, the man took him into the lobby to ask him to open the car door. The child did not agree, this person gave the card as news but the photo on the card was different from the outside and did not wear the officer uniform of the armed forces, so he was scared," Ms. My said.
