Charity controversy
In recent years, numerous charitable activities launched on social media have become familiar to netizens, contributing to the spread of the Vietnamese spirit of "mutual support" and "helping those in need." Thanks to the wide reach and high interaction of social media, many cases of serious illnesses, urgent surgeries, difficult circumstances, or orphaned children, immediately receive many likes, shares, comments, and positive support from the online community after being posted. Especially, relief efforts for people in disaster-stricken areas and children in remote, mountainous regions, initiated by KOLs (influencers), often receive significant financial support from social media users.
In some cases, after a period of fundraising, donors have requested to stop accepting donations to help other less fortunate individuals, as the amount received has been sufficient. However, in other cases, the online community has expressed suspicion when those who initiated the fundraising received a large sum of money but seemingly misused it. Similarly, public opinion was once stirred up by the fact that some famous artists raised large sums of money for flood victims but lacked transparency in distributing and using the donated funds, leading to endless controversies and uproar on social media.
In reality, alongside individuals who do charity work out of kindness and a desire to help those in need, there are still some cases of people exploiting the name of charity to "polish" their reputation, create a "stage" for selling goods, doing business, profiting personally, or even committing fraud and misappropriating property. Ms. Nguyen Quynh Hoa (Hoang Mai ward) shared: "When doing charity, whether it's a little or a lot, everyone wants their help to reach the right place. Just a small suspicion can make those doing charity feel that their kindness is being exploited, leading to hesitation and even a reluctance to continue helping others."
Recently, the Investigation Police Department of the Ministry of Public Security issued a decision not to prosecute the criminal case related to the charitable projects "Nuôi em" (Feeding Children) and "sucmanh2000" (Strength2000) founded and operated by Hoang Hoa Trung, due to the lack of evidence of criminal activity. Despite the clear conclusion from the authorities, this remains a lesson for those running projects like "Nuôi em," "sucmanh2000," and many other charitable programs and activities, highlighting the importance of financial transparency in maintaining community trust.
Strengthening management through legislation.
The law already has specific regulations regarding the organization and operation of social funds and charitable funds. Article 5 of Government Decree No. 93/2019/ND-CP dated November 25, 2019, on the organization and operation of social funds and charitable funds requires "transparency and openness regarding the organization, operation, and financial revenue and expenditure of the fund." Article 4 of Government Decree No. 93/2021/ND-CP dated October 27, 2021, on the mobilization, receipt, distribution, and use of voluntary contributions to support the overcoming of difficulties caused by natural disasters, epidemics, and incidents; and to support patients with serious illnesses, stipulates that "the receipt, distribution, and use of money and in-kind contributions to overcome difficulties caused by natural disasters, epidemics, and incidents; and to support patients with serious illnesses must be timely, effective, fair, transparent, and for the correct purpose and target." However, many controversial charity stories stem from a lack of transparency in information provided by those in charge, including insufficient statistics and public disclosure of income and expenses, raising suspicions among the public.
To ensure stricter management and full accountability for charitable and fundraising activities, the Government issued Decree No. 03/2026/ND-CP dated January 9, 2026, regulating the organization and operation of social funds and charitable funds, replacing Decree No. 93/2019/ND-CP, as amended and supplemented by Decree No. 136/2024/ND-CP.
Lawyer Nguyen Anh Thom, Head Representative of Nguyen Anh Law Office ( Hanoi Bar Association), stated: “Clause 2, Article 9 of Decree No. 03/2026/ND-CP stipulates that annually, the fund is responsible for “publicly disclosing contributions, assets received, and the results of their use through mass media before March 31st”; “reporting on the organization, operation, assets, and finances...; and submitting audit reports (if any) on the management and use of assets and finances to the competent state agency before March 31st.” With these clear and specific regulations, the decree is expected to create a robust legal framework, contributing to the transparency of charitable activities.
Charity is a noble act in society that needs to be nurtured and spread. To maintain trust in the community, organizations and individuals involved in charitable activities must strictly adhere to reporting and information disclosure requirements, and keep complete documentation to be ready for explanation when necessary. Conversely, the community also needs to cultivate a civilized monitoring attitude and provide objective feedback based on legal regulations.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/minh-bach-quy-tu-thien-giu-niem-tin-cong-dong-922890.html
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