The photos, posted on Facebook on Monday by a user who goes by the name of Son Thai, appeared to show D.T.H., deputy Party chief of Thanh Hoa, flirting with a young woman.

During their conversations, information about personnel decisions and other ‘insider knowledge’ in Thanh Hoa was also discussed.

The photos went viral on the social media platform, before they were taken down by the account owner on Tuesday morning.

Responding to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper’s request for comment, an official from the propaganda and education committee of Thanh Hoa said on Tuesday afternoon that the photos were “complete nonsense” and “fabricated,” the purpose of which was to “discredit” a provincial leader.

“Those photos are all crudely edited and couldn’t be further from the truth,” the official said.

Thanh Hoa police officers have been called into action to investigate the “false rumors,” he said, and anyone found responsible for the slander would be handled in accordance with the law.

The young woman whose images were used in the photos has been identified as T., who works as a make-up artist at the TV and radio broadcasting station of Thanh Hoa.

Speaking with Tuoi Tre, T. said she was already in a relationship and insisted she had never met or known H.

T. added she had worked with local police on the investigation.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!