Why Are Hanoi’s Online Communities So Toxic?

In this week’s installment of “Migrant Man Yells at Cloud”, I find myself once again wading through the digital quagmire that is Hanoi’s online discourse—specifically the toxicity that festers in so-called “expat” groups.

After several days spent slogging through social media threads that swing between high drama and low empathy, I couldn’t help but speak up. Sure, I mostly lurk behind anonymity these days—hazards of the writing profession—but enough is enough.

What’s caught my eye isn’t just the drama itself. It’s the glee with which people pick up their digital pitchforks. The comment sections of Hanoi’s groups often resemble an online witch-hunt, with mobs gleefully piling on—motivated less by justice, more by boredom or petty grievances. It’s the virtual version of a torch-lit march, minus the accountability.

Case in point: Shay FC.

For the uninitiated, Shay’s a one-man fried chicken operation that’s been feeding Hanoi’s hungry masses for years. I’ve ordered from him a few times—always professional, always pleasant. This week? He became the target of online outrage for the heinous offense of, checks notes, being Israeli.

Let me be clear: I don’t usually veer into politics here, and my sympathies lie with the oppressed. But unless something has drastically changed, nationality alone isn’t a valid reason for character assassination. This is a man selling wings and mashed potatoes—not launching missiles. Using geopolitics to torpedo someone’s small business? It’s not activism. It’s embarrassing.

Then came “Air Con Gate.”

A Grab driver filmed a café owner shutting the door on him after being told to wait outside. Suddenly, Hanoi’s digital kangaroo court was in session. Calls for boycotts flooded in. Facts? Optional. Did anyone pause to ask what actually happened? Delivery drivers do vital work, no doubt—but are they entitled to linger in customer areas if it disrupts business operations? Maybe yes. Maybe no. But five identical posts of the same 30-second clip? Sounds less like community concern and more like a personal vendetta in disguise.

And don’t even get me started on the influencers.

They march into cafés, order a single latte, whip out ring lights, and transform a quiet spot into a makeshift film studio. Then they expect gratitude for the “free PR.” Look, if your 20k followers bring in a stampede of selfie-obsessed guests who disrupt regular customers, maybe you’re not doing the café any favors. You’re not Beyoncé. You’re not even a traffic cone with Wi-Fi.

What’s missing here is a basic understanding of how hard it is to run a business in Hanoi’s brutal F&B scene. A single negative post—true or not—can derail a hard-working team’s efforts. And while everyone’s quick to shout online, praise comes in whispers, if at all. It’s a toxic cycle: outrage breeds engagement, and businesses pay the price.

At the end of the day?

Hanoi doesn’t need more outrage. It needs more empathy. Less mob justice, more manners. And a little common sense wouldn’t hurt, either.

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Source: Vietnam Insider