Vietnamese Authority Takes Action on Man Defaming Angkor Wat

Phnom Penh, January 05, 2024 --

Hua Quoc Anh, a Vietnamese TikToker in Ho Chi Minh, has been fined VND7.5 million (US$306) by the city's authority for posting a video defaming the sacred Angkor Wat last year, according to VN Express.

The Vietnamese authority announced the fine on Wednesday and warned him not to repeat the wrong and to comply with Vietnamese laws when using the Internet and social media.

In November last year, Hua Quoc Anh posted a video on his TikTok account, which has 700,000 followers, featuring a girl wearing a traditional Thai costume and walking around the Angkor Wat Temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Hua Quoc Anh incorporated images of the Thai flag and king, and a voiceover said "Hello Thailand," sparking a wave of criticism in Vietnam and Cambodia.

According to the Authority for the Protection of the Site and the Management of the Region of Angkor (APSARA National Authority), the video seriously defamed Cambodia's culture and heritage and requested the TikTok company to remove the video from the social media platform.

Angkor is one of Southeast Asia's most important archaeological sites, stretching over 400 square kilometres, including forest areas and the Angkor Archaeological Park with the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th centuries.