Vietnamese men who died while serving military service are concluded "committing suicide", netizens not impressed

On 12 July, Nguyễn Xuân Thìn, Head of The Propaganda Department of Vietnam's 1st Military Region cited the conclusion of the Military Investigation Agency determined that Trần Đức Đô "suicided by hanging himself" for no reason.

Funeral of Trần Đức Đô in Đa Hội Ward, Châu Khê Ward, Từ Sơn Town, Bắc Ninh Province, Vietnam on 29 June 2021

Local media quoted Mr. Thìn as saying:

The investigating agency also determined that they didn't detect Đô being instigated, bullied, humiliated; there are no conflicts in the military unit, family and gender affectionate relationships; no acts of gambling, lots, loans; no trace of beatings, assaults. The bruises on Đô's body were caused by rubbing while hanging and at the time of cutting the rope to bring down the emergency, it hit the trunk. These traces were examined by forensic authorities of Thái Nguyên Police, which concluded that when rebuilding the scene, there were witnesses of families and lawyers.

The investigating agency of Zone 3 of the 1st military region decided not to prosecute criminal cases under the provisions of the Criminal Code.

Since 29 June, on Facebook, there were many images and videos on private Trần Đức Đô (born 2002, hometown in Đa Hội, Châu Khê ward, Từ Sơn town, Bắc Ninh province, Vietnam) died while serving military service in 4th Battalion, 14th Company, Military University of 1st Military Region (Thái Nguyên Province). In these videos, his family said he had been killed and demanded an investigation. There were reports about electric and internet cuts in Đa Hội, Châu Khê ward, Từ Sơn town, Bắc Ninh province when the videos and images are spread.

Many Vietnamese netizens aren't impressed by the investigation results and alleged the army must be covering up the truth about Đô's death.

Pegasus Mậu: Damn!
tuấn Nguyễn: If the military covers up, only children will listen, there are many more unjust cases, not just this one!
Trần Huệ: There's only one truth, and then the assailant will be warned, just hoping you (Trần Đức Đô) rest in peace.
cười vlogs võ: It's all sealed. Maybe you'll have to do it, guys, wait for me.

Hshvss Yahah: The culprit must be his silver spoon, so he's just covered up, and he's keeping the face of the army. It's just covering up, people don't trust the state anymore since this.
Vi Vo Quang: Hang himself but with bruises. That's like telling the kids. The military cover-up crimes.
35 TV: No contradictions, no debt, no male and female relationships, no gambling, nothing, why committing suicide? 

Lại Trần Thế Vinh: What a joke, does anyone voluntarily serve in the military to commit suicide?
Chang Chang: No one volunteered for military service to commit suicide.
Kyungho Lee: Nice conclusion :)))
Nguyễn Hoàng Quân: There's no external factor, no pressure but suicide anyway!

Reportedly, in January this year, Trần Đức Đô wrote a volunteer application for military service. He joined the army in late February. After 3 months of training in Bắc Ninh province, he was sent to the 4th Battalion, 14th Company, Military University of 1st Military Region (Thái Nguyên Province).

According to information from the Ministry of Defense, between 13:45 and 14:00 on 28 June, when the unit was preparing for training, military personnel Tran Duc Do report to the commander to go to the toilet due to abdominal pain.

At about 14:20, when Đô did not return, the commander sent three other service personnel to find  Trần Đức Đô hanging from the acacia tree behind the top of the hill, about 50 meters from the unit's training site. The unit took Đô to the emergency hospital but Đô did not make it.

The victim's father, Trần Đức Hội, said that at about 17:00 on 28 June, he received a call from the person claiming to be the head of Đô's grandchildren to inform his family that he had suffered a stroke at the school. 10 minutes later, they called again to tell his son that he was in an emergency at Thái Nguyên Iron and Steel Hospital. Mr. Hội said: "My family walked up there and when I got halfway there was a phone call saying if your son was in conflict and strangled himself. When the family arrived, the soldiers of the army did not immediately meet but kept taking them around; until he saw his son's body was freezing, stiff, purple."

Mr. Hội also told VTC that Đo's body has many wounds such as rib network, purple swollen chest, tightened and purple rope back, many bruises throughout the body.

Conscription has existed in Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 and requires male citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 (between the ages of 18 and 27 for those who attend colleges or universities) to perform compulsory military service for two years. Women are not required to perform military service, but they may voluntarily join the military

In recent several years, many wealthy families pay bribes to get their sons out of the compulsory service every year.

The incident was not the first case of assault while serving the military service in Vietnam peacetime. In 2004, state media also reported that six service personnel had beaten another serviceman to death for allegedly violating military discipline and had been sanctioned. The Military Criminal Investigation Agency investigated and asked the 1st Military Procuracy to prosecute these men on charges of intentionally causing injury.