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Ho Chi Minh City: a university student lost half the marks on a writing-course essay after the lecturer found AI use, which the lecturer said specialised plagiarism software detects; the vice-rector endorsed the deduction and the student feared failing the course

In November 2023 a student at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Languages and Information Technology (HUFLIT) wrote on the university's anonymous confessions page that a writing-course essay had been returned with 50 percent of the marks deducted because the lecturer found it had been written with AI. The student said the lecturer had warned that AI-written essays would be treated as plagiarism if detected, had not expected detection, and learned from the lecturer that Vietnamese-to-English translation software could also be counted as AI use when checked with specialised plagiarism software; the student did not know whether the course could still be passed. The vice-rector told Tuoi Tre that the lecturer had told students before the assignment not to use AI applications, that the course tests independent writing, that using an AI support tool breached academic-integrity rules, and that the deduction was appropriate, while noting the university had no formal document on sanctions for AI use. A university representative told Thanh Nien and Dan Tri that the university does not ban AI but requires transparency about tools used, uses paid AI-detection services when necessary, and had not received a formal complaint from the student; a later report said the university had bought Turnitin licences for lecturers to check AI use in essays.

AI System

An unspecified AI writing or Vietnamese-to-English translation tool used by the student, and specialised plagiarism software used by the lecturer to flag AI-generated text (the university later cited Turnitin)

Occurred

Nov 2023

Reported

14 November 2023

Event location

Vietnam

Platform

other

What the evidence supports

AI involvement: supported. The student's own post says the essay was written with AI or a translation tool and that the lecturer's specialised plagiarism software detected it; the vice-rector confirmed to Tuoi Tre that the essay used an AI support tool and endorsed the deduction; the university told two outlets it uses paid AI-detection services. The claim of AI use made about the student is the lecturer's finding; the lecturer explained it by reference to specialised plagiarism-checking software and the university says it pays for detection services, but no documented run of the software on this essay is described (made_claim_about); the student's AI or translation tool produced the essay text (acted_on_behalf). The lecturer, not the software, made the grading decision. Neither tool is named in the accounts of this case.

AI-to-person relation

  • Made a claim about the person
  • Acted on the person’s behalf

Core relations are communication, acting on someone’s behalf, and depiction or impersonation. Decision and claim relations are retained as contextual cases.

Their own AI use · An institution’s AI use. Settings: Education.

Claim status: Corroborated

The lecturer deducted 50 percent of the marks on the student's writing-course essay after finding AI use; the lecturer said specialised plagiarism-checking software detects such use and that Vietnamese-to-English translation software can also be counted as AI; the student had been warned beforehand and wrote that the result left it unclear whether the course could be passed.

Causal attribution: The student's own post and the named vice-rector's confirmation of the same case to Tuoi Tre; two separate accounts.

  • Forum post (supports): 'Hôm bữa thứ 5 giảng viên mới phát bài ra, nhận điểm mà xỉu ngang vì cô phát hiện bài viết dùng AI và trừ điểm' (on Thursday the lecturer returned the essays and I nearly fainted at the mark because she found the essay used AI and deducted marks); 'dùng những phần mềm dịch thuật từ Việt sang Anh cũng có nguy cơ tính là AI, và bị check đạo văn luôn' (using Vietnamese-to-English translation software also risks being counted as AI, and gets plagiarism-checked too); 'Tui bị trừ 50% số điểm, không biết kỳ này có qua môn được không nữa' (I lost 50 percent of the marks and do not know whether I can pass the course this term).
  • News report (supports): 'bài tiểu luận môn viết của mình bị giảng viên trừ 50% số điểm. Lý do: bài làm sử dụng ứng dụng trí tuệ nhân tạo (AI) để viết bài' (the writing-course essay had 50 percent of its marks deducted by the lecturer; reason: the essay used an AI application to write it); 'Việc trừ điểm của giảng viên trong trường hợp này là phù hợp' (the lecturer's deduction in this case is appropriate, the vice-rector said).
  • News report (supports): 'Mình bị trừ 50% số điểm, không biết kỳ này có qua môn được không nữa' (I lost 50 percent of the marks and do not know whether I can pass the course this term).

Claim status: Reported

The vice-rector said the lecturer had told students before the essay not to use AI applications, that the writing course tests independent writing, that using an AI support tool breached academic-integrity rules, that the deduction was appropriate, and that the university had no official document on sanctions for AI use but had academic-integrity regulations.

Causal attribution: Named vice-rector speaking to Tuoi Tre; single chain.

  • News report (supports): 'Đây là môn viết, bài tập kiểm tra khả năng viết độc lập của sinh viên. Do đó khi dùng công cụ hỗ trợ, AI đã vi phạm các quy tắc liêm chính. Việc trừ điểm của giảng viên trong trường hợp này là phù hợp' (this is a writing course; the assignment tests students' independent writing; so using an AI support tool breached the integrity rules; the lecturer's deduction in this case is appropriate); 'Văn bản chính thức về chế tài đối với việc sinh viên sử dụng ứng dụng AI làm bài tập thì chưa có, song trường có các quy định về liêm chính học thuật' (there is no official document on sanctions for students using AI applications in assignments, but the university has academic-integrity regulations).

Claim status: Reported

A university representative said the university does not ban AI support for study but requires transparency about the tools used, uses paid AI-detection services when necessary, and had not received a formal complaint from the student; a later report said the university had bought Turnitin licences for lecturers to check AI use in essays.

Causal attribution: University representative statements to Thanh Nien and Dan Tri (same wording) and to Hoa Hoc Tro.

  • News report (supports): 'Nhà trường không cấm sinh viên dùng AI hỗ trợ việc học. Tuy nhiên, giảng viên và sinh viên phải minh bạch' (the university does not ban students from using AI to support study, but lecturers and students must be transparent); 'Khi cần thiết, nhà trường có sử dụng một số dịch vụ có trả phí để phát hiện việc dùng AI' (when necessary the university uses some paid services to detect AI use).
  • News report (supports): 'đại diện Trường Đại học Ngoại ngữ - Tin học TPHCM cho biết chưa nhận được phản ánh chính thức của sinh viên về vấn đề này' (a HUFLIT representative said no formal complaint had been received from the student on this matter).
  • News report (supports): 'nhà trường đã nhắc nhở sinh viên, thậm chí đã mua bản quyền phần mềm ứng dụng như Turnitin hướng dẫn cho giảng viên toàn trường để kiểm tra việc sử dụng trí tuệ nhân tạo trong các bài luận của sinh viên' (the university had reminded students and had even bought licences for software such as Turnitin, with guidance for lecturers across the university, to check the use of AI in students' essays).

What remains unknown

  • Which AI or translation tool the student used, and which detection software the lecturer used for this essay; Turnitin is named only in a later general statement.
  • Whether the student passed the course.
  • The exact date the essay was returned (a Thursday before the 14 November 2023 post).
  • Whether the detection finding was reviewed by anyone other than the lecturer.
Source reading, translation and location

News report · vi · Source inspected

Read in Vietnamese on 2026-09-19 (Tuoi Tre Online, 15 November 2023). Student's account and the named vice-rector's comments. Model reading of the original; English glosses are the reviewer's.

News report · vi · Source inspected

Read in Vietnamese on 2026-09-19 (Thanh Nien, published 2023-11-14 16:18 +07:00). Quotes the confessions post and a university representative's statement; the same statement wording appears in Dan Tri.

This source shares an underlying account with another listed source.

News report · vi · Source inspected

Read in Vietnamese on 2026-09-19 (Dan Tri, published 2023-11-16 06:00 +07:00). Same representative statement as Thanh Nien plus the note that no formal complaint had been received.

This source shares an underlying account with another listed source.

Forum post · vi · Source inspected

Read in Vietnamese on 2026-09-19 (HUFLIT Confessions blog, published 2023-11-15 21:25 +07:00). Carries the full text of the anonymous student's post and restates the Tuoi Tre interview. The original social media post itself was not opened.

News report · vi · Source inspected

Read in Vietnamese on 2026-09-19 (Hoa Hoc Tro, Tien Phong, published 2023-11-19 09:58 +07:00). Restates the post and quotes a university representative on Turnitin licences.

Event countries: Vietnam. Affected-person countries: Vietnam. Court countries: Unknown.

The university is in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and the student studies there; no legal proceeding.

Reviewed for publication 2026-09-19: Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an ordinary educational adverse experience: an AI-detection finding led to a consequential grading decision, confirmed by the university's vice-rector. Five Vietnamese items read from three accounts (the student's post, the vice-rector, the university's statement). The student is anonymous; the university and officials are named as institutional actors.

What Happened

The student's post on the HUFLIT Confessions page, quoted in full by the page's blog and in part by Thanh Nien, Dan Tri and Tuoi Tre, said that the lecturer had warned that using AI to write the essay would count as plagiarism if detected, that the student had not believed the lecturer could detect it, that on a Thursday the lecturer returned the essays and the student 'fainted' at the mark because the lecturer had found AI use and deducted marks, and that after the lecturer's explanation the student understood that Vietnamese-to-English translation software also risked being counted as AI and checked for plagiarism. The post ended by saying the student had lost 50 percent of the marks and did not know whether the course could be passed that term. The vice-rector told Tuoi Tre that the university guides students on principles for using AI such as transparency and responsibility, that there was as yet no official document on sanctions for using AI in assignments but there were academic-integrity rules, that in this case the lecturer had instructed students before the essay not to use AI applications, that the writing course tests independent writing, that using an AI support tool therefore breached integrity rules, and that the lecturer's deduction was appropriate. A university representative told Thanh Nien and Dan Tri in near-identical wording that the university does not ban AI support for study but requires lecturers and students to be transparent and name the tools used, that faculties are changing assessment methods, and that when necessary the university uses paid services to detect AI use; Dan Tri added that no formal complaint had been received from the student. Hoa Hoc Tro reported on 19 November 2023 that the university had bought licences for software such as Turnitin for lecturers to check AI use in essays.

Reported harm

Half the marks on a writing-course essay were deducted after the lecturer found AI use; the student said the penalty left the course result in doubt.

Educational Harm

Outcome

Resolved

The lecturer deducted 50 percent of the essay marks; the vice-rector publicly endorsed the deduction on 15 November 2023; the university said it had no formal sanction document for AI use but applied academic-integrity rules and paid detection services. Whether the student passed the course is not reported.

People described

One undergraduate at a private university in Ho Chi Minh City who posted anonymously on the university's confessions page; not named

People reported harmed in this case

1 person

1 AI participant · 0 other people harmed

One student, the author of the confessions post, whose case the vice-rector discussed. Counted as a participant user because the student used the AI or translation tool on the essay.

Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.

Tags

#education#ai-detection#university#vietnam#ho-chi-minh-city#academic-integrity#translation-tool#grading

Cite this case

Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.

APA

NOPE. (2023). Ho Chi Minh City: a university student lost half the marks on a writing-course essay after the lecturer found AI use, which the lecturer said specialised plagiarism software detects; the vice-rector endorsed the deduction and the student feared failing the course. NOPE: AI and people. https://nope.net/incidents/2023-ho-chi-minh-city-huflit-ai-essay-half-marks-deducted

BibTeX

@misc{2023_ho_chi_minh_city_huflit_ai_essay_half_marks_deducted,
  title = {Ho Chi Minh City: a university student lost half the marks on a writing-course essay after the lecturer found AI use, which the lecturer said specialised plagiarism software detects; the vice-rector endorsed the deduction and the student feared failing the course},
  author = {NOPE},
  year = {2023},
  howpublished = {NOPE: AI and people},
  url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2023-ho-chi-minh-city-huflit-ai-essay-half-marks-deducted}
}

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