Singer Duy Manh sues Mercedes-Benz Vietnam for car fire

Vietnamese singer Duy Manh. Photo from Duy Manh's Facebook

Manh said his lawyers would represent him at the trial scheduled for Friday at the Go Vap District People’s Court in HCMC.

Previous mediation efforts between him and Mercedes-Benz Vietnam were unsuccessful.

In 2023 the car the singer had purchased in 2020 for more than VND5 billion (US$192,570) caught fire while parked at an apartment building.

The vehicle had been locked at the time and the hood could not be opened to put out the flames, he said.
Security staff had to use a crowbar to prise the hood open and spray water to extinguish the fire.

Due to the intensity of the fire, the building management contacted the police.

After the blaze was brought under control, authorities sealed the vehicle and transferred it to a police impound lot in Thu Duc City in HCMC. "After a month the police concluded that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit," Duy Manh said.

His insurance company paid him VND2.9 billion. However, after a re-evaluation, Mercedes-Benz Vietnam said "the fire was the result of rodent activity," citing rat droppings and debris discovered inside the vehicle.
Calling the explanation "unreasonable," Manh decided to take legal action.

"I’m not focused on the money; I just want a satisfactory explanation," he said. Duy Manh, 50, full name Nguyen Duy Manh, hails from Hai Phong in northern Vietnam.

He graduated from the HCMC Conservatory of Music with a degree in piano.

Duy Manh started performing as a pianist and vocalist at cafés and small venues in 1998 before rising to fame in 2004 with several hit songs. Now he composes, produces and performs at bars and pubs.