Vietnam Detains Three Viet Tan Members, Including Norwegian and Australian Nationals

Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security has detained three men accused of belonging to Viet Tan, a U.S.-based pro-democracy organization that Hanoi designates as a terrorist group. The men were identified as Nguyen Duc Thuan, 52, Ho Pham Hiep Huy, 51, and Thai Cong Truong Son, 46.

According to the ministry, the three were arrested after entering Vietnam on Sept. 18. They face allegations of forging seals and official documents. Authorities said Huy holds an Australian passport and Thuan a Norwegian one, and provided no information about Son's nationality.

Viet Tan rejected the charges and called for the men's immediate release. The group said Thuan and Hiep disappeared on Sept. 18 while travelling in Kaoh Andaet, a district in Cambodia's Takeo province near the Vietnamese border. It accused Vietnam of "transnational repression" and described the charges as fabricated to conceal an abduction. Viet Tan did not confirm whether Son was a member.

The group urged Norway and Australia to seek direct access to the detained men and to verify their condition.

In Adelaide, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government was engaging with the family and providing consular assistance. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was making urgent inquiries with Vietnamese authorities to confirm reports that an Australian citizen had been detained.

Rights groups have increasingly scrutinized transnational repression, in which governments pursue dissidents beyond their borders. Freedom House warned in 2024 that the practice was becoming a "normal" phenomenon, noting that most cases rely on cooperation or exploitation of institutions in the host country. Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and China have been accused of quid pro quo arrangements to return dissidents sought by one another's governments.

Late last year, Thailand extradited Vietnamese activist Y Quynh Bdap, who had been held in Bangkok since 2024, despite warnings from rights groups that he could be in danger. Bdap, a co-founder of Montagnards Stand for Justice, had been convicted in absentia in Vietnam in January on terrorism charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison over alleged involvement in 2023 riots in Dak Lak province.

Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights & Labour Advocates, said the detentions showed Hanoi was "arguably the most vicious and pernicious practitioner of transnational repression today in Southeast Asia." He called on Norway and Australia to lead efforts to penalize Vietnam and demand the men's unconditional release.