The Hanoi Department of Information and Communications has denied imposing a VND7 million (US$285) fine on a male TikToker, who claimed on Facebook that he had faced refusal at a pho restaurant and encountered harsh words at another in the Vietnamese capital city due to being in a wheelchair.

The department issued the denial after a post about the VND7.5 million fine circulated on social media in Vietnam on Wednesday afternoon.

As per the misleading post, the male TikToker V.M.L. allegedly faced penalties for disseminating false information regarding his purported experience of service refusal and verbal abuse at two pho restaurants in Hanoi.

An official told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper later the same day that the process of verifying L.’s story is ongoing and a conclusion will be announced upon its completion.

By Wednesday morning, five days after creating an online stir with his Facebook post describing the alleged discrimination against him, L. had removed it from his personal account. 

Additionally, the video showing him and his girlfriend eating at a pho restaurant on Nam Ngu Street in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem District had been hidden from his TikTok channel while the comment feature on the channel had been disabled.

After Tuoi Tre reporters made several attempts to contact L. on Wednesday, he responded that he was too busy to provide an explanation for the aforementioned actions.

Previously, L. had also hidden all posts and disallowed comments on his personal Facebook account.

Last week, L. wrote on his Facebook account, which has nearly 150,000 followers, that he and his girlfriend had visited a pho restaurant in Hanoi. 

Being born with a disability that requires him to use a wheelchair, he requested assistance to navigate a three-step staircase, and an employee refused, saying that “our restaurant has no staff to carry someone like you.”

Upon reaching another pho eatery, also their familiar diner, where space was limited, L. had to squeeze into the owner’s area. 

The owner scolded her staff, saying, “Who accepts this kind of people?” 

After an employee explained that L. often sat there, the owner, displeased, complained that L.’s presence narrowed her working space.

This post generated mixed opinions on the acccuracy of the story, with over 47,000 reactions and 20,000 comments and shares as of Monday afternoon. 

L. posted a TikTok video captioned “Goodbye Hanoi,” featuring images of a chicken pho restaurant on Nam Ngu Street in Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.

The 60-year-old owner of the pho restaurant on Monday confirmed to Tuoi Tre that L. was a regular customer, often visiting in the evening. 

During their visit on the morning of January 12, due to narrow entrance and rain, she suggested them to sit at a nearby coffee shop. 

However, L. insisted on having pho inside the restaurant, and they were welcomed as usual. 

The owner denied refusing the guests and making any derogatory comments.

On Monday, the chicken pho eatery publicized the CCTV footage of the event, which showed that when L. and his girlfriend entered the diner, the owner and an employee paved the way for the two customers. He then sat behind the owner.

After they finished their meal, the eatery’s employee helped push his wheelchair outside.

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