Welcome to the virtual equivalent of angry villagers setting fire to somewhere. Photo courtesy of Gracie Films

Alex Reeves - @afreeves23

For this week's edition of migrant man shouts at cloud, I am once again taking aim at the toxicity of Hà Nội’s netizens, particularly, but not limited to, ‘expat’ groups. After a few days of trudging through the digital swamp and, at times, failing to hold my nose. You may have seen me have a pop or two, though I’m guilty of hiding behind the cloak of anonymity these days, occupational hazard of a writing gig I suppose.

What has drawn my attention is the prevalence of pile-ons, witch-hunts or whatever else you call them. What’s wound me up most isn’t just the drama itself, but the eagerness with which people sharpen their pitchforks. The virtual equivalent of angry villagers setting fire to somewhere, except half of them are just bored of being priced out of rental listings or smirking at the latest wave of wannabe personal trainers.

First up: Shay FC. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a one-man operation that’s been delivering fried chicken across Hà Nội for almost as long as I’ve lived here. I’m not claiming to be his number one customer, but I’ve ordered enough and always found Shay himself pleasant and professional. This week? He’s been targeted for the outrageous crime of *checks notes*, being Israeli.

Now look, I don’t tend to go political in these columns, and my sympathies are firmly with the oppressed, always. But unless something’s changed, a person’s nationality is not grounds for defamation of character. Loving your country and slinging chicken wings and mashed potato does not a war criminal make. This nonsense of tarring someone’s business with a political brush? Embarrassing.

Then came Air Con Gate. A Grab driver told to wait outside then filmed the owner of a well known West Lake establishment as she closed the door on him. Cue Hà Nội’s online kangaroo court convening to dish out punishment. Boycott required; no trial necessary. Did anyone bother to ask what actually happened? I love our boys in green, but are delivery drivers entitled to sit inside businesses if they’re affecting operations? Maybe. Maybe not. But when you see five coordinated posts of the same video, you have to ask, is this a genuine complaint or a personal beef?

This brings me onto the influencer crowd. Marching into bars and cafés, phone in hand, ordering one drink and turning the place into their own personal studio. Then having the audacity to act like the owner should thank them for the free PR. You’ve got 20k followers, you’re not Beyonce. If your 'exposure' brings in another 30 flash photography clones to disrupt paying customers, then honestly? You can jump in the West Lake.

It’s astoundingly obvious how much netizens underestimate the strains of running a successful business in the F&B industry here. People seem to only care for the impact of leaving a negative review. Just as we’re all too quick to criticise rather than praise in real life, this carries over onto the internet, it’s a toxic cycle leading to good businesses being punished.

All said and done? We need less mob, more manners. And a little common sense wouldn't hurt either. VNS