AI-Generated Deepfake Flood Videos Deceive Vietnamese Social Media Users
Multiple social media accounts created AI-generated deepfake videos depicting Central Vietnamese residents in flood distress during an active typhoon disaster in November 2025. The videos circulated widely on TikTok, deceiving viewers who believed them to be authentic footage, and were created primarily to gain engagement and views during a humanitarian crisis.
What happened
Multiple social media accounts posted AI-generated deepfake videos depicting Central Vietnamese residents crying and calling for help on rooftops surrounded by flood waters during flooding caused by typhoon number 13 in late 2025.
The deepfake videos contained unnatural facial expressions, distorted voices, extraneous or missing fingers, and warped or repeated movements—all characteristic of AI-generated content.
Hundreds of thousands and even millions of users viewed these videos on TikTok within days, with most viewers initially believing them to be authentic footage of the flooding disaster.
Reported impact
Viewers who initially believed the videos to be real posted thousands of sympathetic comments expressing compassion for Central Vietnamese residents, unaware they were watching synthetic media.
The circulation of these deepfake videos occurred while government and community response efforts were underway to provide disaster relief and accurate information updates to flood-affected regions.
Index analysis
The accounts that created and shared these videos did so to gain views and engagement on social media platforms despite the active humanitarian crisis.
Most casual viewers who only watched briefly or lacked technical expertise could not distinguish the videos from authentic footage, making such deception difficult to recognize without careful observation or technical knowledge.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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