Vietnam confirms arrest of two Viet Tan activists reported missing in Cambodia

September 29, 2026 at 11:41 AM2 min

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Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security confirmed the arrest of three men, including two Viet Tan activists reported missing in Cambodia. The ministry said the men entered Vietnam illegally from Cambodia and confessed to terrorism and document forgery. Viet Tan accused Vietnamese authorities of abducting the activists from Cambodia.

Key Facts

Vietnam's Security Investigation Agency detained Nguyen Duc Thuan, 52, Ho Pham Hiep Huy, 51, and Thai Cong Truong Son, 46, for illegal entry from Cambodia.
The three men are under investigation for terrorism under Article 299 and forgery of seals and documents under Article 341 of Vietnam's Penal Code.
Viet Tan reported Thuan and Hiep missing in Phnom Penh since September 18, after they arrived from Bangkok on September 15 and missed their September 19 departure.
Viet Tan accused Vietnamese authorities of abducting Thuan and Hiep from Cambodia and called the illegal entry claim a fabrication.

Arrests and Charges

The Ministry of Public Security announced the detention of Nguyen Duc Thuan, Ho Pham Hiep Huy, and Thai Cong Truong Son after they allegedly entered Vietnam illegally from Cambodia. The three men are under investigation for terrorism under Article 299 and forgery of seals and documents under Article 341 of the Penal Code. Under questioning, they confessed to being members of Viet Tan, a U.S.-based pro-democracy group that the ministry described as a terrorist organization. They also admitted to carrying fake documents to illegally enter Vietnam to conduct terrorist and sabotage activities, according to the ministry.

Disappearance in Cambodia

Viet Tan reported Thuan and Hiep missing in Phnom Penh on September 18, after they arrived from Bangkok on September 15 and were due to leave Cambodia on September 19. Thuan is a Norwegian citizen and Hiep is an Australian citizen, according to Viet Tan spokesperson Duy Hoang. Hoang told Cambodia's Kiripost news site that the pair came to Cambodia to meet with Vietnamese human rights defenders living in the country. Viet Tan, formed by South Vietnamese exiles in 1982, advocates peaceful, nonviolent struggle for democracy in Vietnam.

Abduction Allegations

After the arrests, Viet Tan accused Vietnamese authorities of abducting Thuan and Hiep from Cambodia. Viet Tan strongly condemned the abduction of two of its members in Cambodia and the fabricated charges issued by the Vietnamese communist authorities to cover up an act of transnational repression. The group called the ministry's claim that the men were arrested for entering Vietnam illegally a blatant fabrication intended to conceal the fact that the Viet Tan members were abducted in Cambodia and forcibly taken to Vietnam. Rights groups say such renditions are part of a worrying trend under To Lam, a former minister of public security who has tightened permissible dissent since becoming Communist Party chief in 2024.