The trial of singer Duy Manh suing Mercedes-Benz Vietnam was postponed, why?

Today (April 25), the People's Court of Go Vap District (HCMC) opened the first instance trial of the dispute over compensation for damages between the plaintiff, Mr. Nguyen Duy Manh (singer Duy Manh) and the defendant, Mercedes-Benz Vietnam Company Limited.

The person with related rights and obligations summoned by the court is Vietnam Star Automobile Company Limited.

However, during the procedural part, the panel of judges announced that Mercedes-Benz Vietnam Co., Ltd. had submitted a request for postponement, so the panel of judges decided to postpone the trial until May 21 to reopen.

According to the lawsuit, on August 18, 2020, singer Duy Manh signed a contract to buy a 100% new Mercedes-Benz S450 L Luxury with Vietnam Star Automobile Company Limited, the car price was more than 4.7 billion VND. The company committed to a 36-month unlimited km warranty.

On the night of February 15, 2023, while the car was parked in the basement of the Feliz En Vista apartment building (Thu Duc City), it suddenly caught fire for unknown reasons. According to singer Duy Manh, when the incident happened, he repeatedly called Mercedes for help but received no response from the company. Thu Duc City Police and nearby residents quickly put out the fire and moved the car.

According to the forensic results of the Institute of Criminal Science, Ho Chi Minh City Police, the cause of the fire was "due to a collision and short circuit on the electrical wire installed behind the vehicle engine. The short circuit caused a high-energy electric arc that burned the insulation, melted the core of the electrical wire and spread to surrounding flammable materials, causing the vehicle to catch fire".

On March 30, 2023, Mercedes-Benz Vietnam inspected the vehicle and determined that rats had gnawed on the electrical wires, causing a short circuit and fire.

Before the conclusion of Mercedes-Benz Vietnam, singer Duy Manh said that Mercedes-Benz Vietnam had provided the basis for images of rat droppings and bite marks from the images when the car was unsealed on March 30, 2023 and the images of the police investigation on March 8, 2023, but not the images immediately after the fire and explosion incident on February 15, 2023.

After the fire, Vietnam Star Automobile Company lent him a replacement car until May 7, 2023. Liberty Insurance Company compensated him VND 2.89 billion. However, the male singer said that this amount was much lower than the value of the car.

Duy Manh believes that the responsibility for vehicle warranty (even though the purchase contract is with Vietnam Star Company) belongs to Mercedes-Benz Vietnam.

Therefore, the male singer filed a lawsuit, requesting Mercedes-Benz Vietnam Co., Ltd. to compensate more than 2.5 billion VND, including: vehicle damage (after insurance deduction), bank loan interest (from February 2023 to June 2023) and legal fees of 423 million VND.

Commenting on the situation from a legal perspective, lawyer Tran Minh Hung (Head of Family Law Office, Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association) assessed that from the initial conclusion of an electrical short circuit, relevant organizations and individuals will continue to collect and consolidate evidence, combining professional measures of the police such as examining the scene or requesting an appraisal to accurately determine the source of the fire as well as determine the responsibility for compensation (if any) in the fire.

"Electrical short circuits are one of the common causes of car fires, but the danger lies not only in the hood area (where rats can crawl in and bite), but can also come from the electrical system running throughout the car, from inside the car doors, under the carpet, under the seat cushions or inside the center console. Therefore, the first problem to determine is where the short circuit occurred, where did the source of the fire come from? Is it from the hood or in other locations?

Next, regarding the issue of rats biting the car (if any), it is necessary to determine where the rat droppings and garbage were found. If there are signs of damage, it is necessary to determine where the rat teeth marks were found, how serious they were, and whether the bites were deep enough to reach the core of the wire, leading to sparks causing an explosion or not?

"Determining when and where the first fire started is crucial because it can help narrow down the cause of the fire. For example, a fire in the dashboard may be electrical, while a fire in the engine compartment may be related to the fuel system or other factors," Hung said.

In addition to clarifying the objective causes that can lead to fire and explosion, the competent authority will also verify issues related to the subjective factors of the vehicle owner, such as whether the vehicle is regularly taken for periodic maintenance at reliable locations or not? Has the vehicle had any equipment or spare parts replaced? Is the quality of the replacement parts guaranteed? Has the installation been done properly, ensuring the process and fire and explosion safety?

At the same time, it is necessary to verify the vehicle's travel history, such as how the vehicle moved, to which areas, and under what conditions before the fire broke out? What were the environment and conditions in the parking lot, was the vehicle near a fire source, flammable substances, or parked in areas that did not ensure fire safety?

From the series of legal questions mentioned above, depending on the verification and appraisal results of competent professional agencies, legal responsibilities will gradually be clarified.

Duy Manh's 5 billion car burned down, the company blamed it on rats, the male singer was upset about one thing Keng21:42:23 23/04/2025Recently, singer Duy Manh shared photos at the People's Court of Go Vap District and provided details about suing the car company related to the fire 2 years ago due to not being able to find a common voice.