The recent disappearance of two human rights activists in Cambodia and their subsequent prosecution in Vietnam has drawn international attention to Vietnam's use of transnational repression to silence dissidents abroad. According to their families, on September 15, Mr. Nguyen Duc Thuan, a Norwegian citizen, and Mr. Ho Pham Hiep Huy, also known as Tran Hiep, an Australian citizen, traveled from Bangkok, Thailand, to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to meet with Vietnamese human rights activists. More than a week later, their families reported that the two men had been missing since September 18 and appealed to the online community for help locating them.
On September 28, Vietnamese state media reported that the Security Investigation Agency under the Ministry of Public Security had initiated criminal proceedings against Nguyen Duc Thuan, Ho Pham Hiep Huy, and Thai Cong Truong Son and ordered their detention. The three face charges of "terrorism" under Article 299 and "forging seals or documents of agencies or organizations" under Article 341 of Vietnam's Penal Code. Vietnamese authorities stated that the three men were arrested on September 18 while illegally entering Vietnam from Cambodia.
Mr. Thuan and Mr. Huy are human rights activists and members of Viet Tan, a U.S.-based organization advocating for democracy and human rights that the Vietnamese government has designated a "terrorist" organization. The circumstances surrounding their disappearance and reported "illegal entry" raise concerns in light of previous cases involving Vietnamese dissidents who disappeared or were allegedly abducted abroad before resurfacing in Vietnamese custody. These include Mr. Chu Tuan Anh, a member of the Rally for Democracy and Pluralism who the organization says was abducted in Laos in January 2026; YouTuber Duong Van Thai, who disappeared near Bangkok in April 2023; journalist Truong Duy Nhat, who disappeared in Thailand in early 2019; and former oil executive Trinh Xuan Thanh, who was abducted in Berlin in 2017.
The Vietnam Human Rights Network and Defend the Defenders believe that Nguyen Duc Thuan and Ho Pham Hiep Huy were abducted in Cambodia by Vietnamese security forces, forcibly returned to Vietnam, and subsequently presented as having been arrested while illegally entering the country. They are concerned that their detention and prosecution are intended to punish them for their peaceful human rights and pro-democracy activities and may represent another instance of transnational repression.
The case underscores Vietnam's willingness to violate international borders and sovereignty to pursue critics, threatening the safety of activists and refugees across Southeast Asia. It also puts pressure on Cambodia to address allegations of complicity and on Norway and Australia to protect their citizens. The organizations call on the Vietnamese government to release Nguyen Duc Thuan, Ho Pham Hiep Huy, and Thai Cong Truong Son, drop the charges against them, and allow them to reunite with their families without delay. They urge Cambodian authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Mr. Thuan and Mr. Huy from Cambodian territory, including allegations that Vietnamese security forces were involved, and to take effective measures to protect human rights activists in Cambodia, regardless of nationality. They also call on the governments of Australia and Norway to take all appropriate measures, including consular protection, to safeguard the rights and interests of their citizens detained in Vietnam. Finally, they urge the United Nations and democratic governments to press Vietnam to end transnational repression and cease the abduction and forcible return of dissidents and human rights activists from other countries.
