HCMC school apologizes after Forbes Under 30 post triggers public outcry

Earlier this week, the High School for the Gifted posted information of its former student Ngo Hoang Anh being honored in the list of Forbes Vietnam Under 30 in the field of science and education.

However, the post quickly stirred up debate after many former female students at the school accused him of sexually harassing them.

Most of the victims said when they were still studying at the school, Anh used to often text them, using many “sensitive and sexually explicit” words.

In the apology letter published on the school’s official Facebook page, its vice principal Tran Nam Dung said the school had been careless when publishing the Forbes Under 30 information since it inadvertently affected former students who had spoken out about his behavior in 2020.

Dung said he had not dealed with reports of Dung’s action “thoroughly” to make him aware of his misconduct and seriously apology to other students.

“I assure that I never have any thought about tolerating or harboring any act of sexual harassment,” he said.

A school’s representative told Tuoi Tre anonymously that “The school has not taken specific measures in the past to help students protect themselves against sexual harassment. We express our deepest sympathy for the pain former students have experienced. We are committed to fulfilling our responsibilities to the parties involved to settle this matter in line with Vietnamese law.”

Anh, 22, is studying for a master’s degree in statistical epidemiology at the Medical School of the University of Edinburgh in the U.K. He had formerly gained outstanding achievements during his term at the High School for the Gifted.