Vietnam probing hacking of airport loudspeaker systems

By Bennett Murray

HANOI (AA) - Vietnamese authorities launched a joint-task force Saturday to investigate a nationwide hack against two major airports by evidently pro-Chinese hackers.

The hacks became apparent Friday afternoon as flight information screens and loudspeaker systems at Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City airports began broadcasting messages criticizing Vietnam and the Philippines over their maritime disputes with China in the South China Sea, according to the state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper.

The interference reportedly caused multiple flight delays as airline employees were forced to manually check in customers.

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines was also reportedly hacked, with its website defaced and data concerning some 411,000 frequent fliers leaked.

The hacks occurred against a backdrop of simmering nationalistic sentiment in Vietnam and China following a July 12 international court verdict that dismissed China’s claims to almost all the South China Sea.

Although the case was brought by the Philippines, which disputes China’s claims to some reefs and islands, Vietnam also has large overlapping maritime claims with its northern neighbor.

While the Vietnamese government has yet to issue a position on the verdict, the court ruling triggered celebratory demonstrations in Hanoi.

Days before the hacking, China's consulate in Ho Chi Minh City called for an investigation after Vietnamese border officials at the airport allegedly wrote an obscenity in a Chinese passport on top of a page featuring a map of the sea.