Vietnamese Journalist Do Van Nga Arrested on Anti-State Propaganda Charges

Vietnamese journalist Do Van Nga has disappeared after landing at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport on November 8, sparking international concern over his whereabouts and safety.

Nga, who contributes to the Germany-based independent news outlet Thoibao.de, had traveled from Thailand, where he has been living in exile for several years, to renew his passport. According to his editor, Le Trung Khoa, Nga texted his family upon arrival but never emerged from immigration control. Despite repeated inquiries from his family, Vietnamese authorities have provided no information about his status or location.

The situation escalated on November 17 when Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security announced criminal prosecution proceedings against both Nga and Khoa on charges of “disseminating anti-state propaganda” under Section 117 of Vietnam’s Penal Code. If convicted, the journalists could face up to 20 years in prison.

“Do Van Nga’s detention is yet another example of Vietnam’s relentless campaign to silence independent journalism and commentary,” said Shawn Crispin, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ senior Southeast Asia representative. “Nga is a journalist, not a criminal, and should be released immediately and unconditionally.”

Press freedom advocates view this case as part of a broader pattern of media repression in Vietnam, which consistently ranks among the world’s worst jailers of journalists. According to CPJ research, at least 15 journalists are currently imprisoned in the country, not including Nga.

Khoa, who spoke with CPJ from Germany, believes the charges are retaliatory. He suggests they may be connected to a recent German court decision that dismissed most defamation complaints filed by Vingroup, one of Vietnam’s largest business conglomerates, against Thoibao.de for its critical reporting on Vingroup’s automobile manufacturer, Vinfast.

This is not the first time Khoa has faced threats for his journalism. Since 2017, when he broke a story about Vietnam’s abduction of a Vietnamese official from a public park in Berlin, he has received death threats and has been living under police protection in Germany.

The targeting of journalists working from exile represents an escalation in Vietnam’s approach to controlling media narratives. By applying anti-state charges to journalists operating outside its borders, the Vietnamese government appears to be extending its reach beyond its geographic boundaries to silence critical voices.

Vietnam’s strict media controls have long been criticized by international human rights organizations. The country maintains tight restrictions on press freedom, with the government controlling most mainstream media outlets and regularly using broadly-worded national security laws to prosecute independent journalists and bloggers.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has called on Vietnamese authorities to immediately account for and release Nga, drop all pending charges against both journalists, and cease harassment of media professionals with what they describe as “baseless anti-state charges.”

The Ministry of Public Security did not immediately respond to CPJ’s request for comment on Nga’s disappearance or the charges filed against the journalists.

As international pressure mounts, Nga’s case highlights the ongoing challenges faced by journalists reporting on Vietnam, particularly those working for independent, overseas-based publications that provide alternative perspectives to state-controlled media narratives.

Human rights advocates are closely monitoring the situation as it develops, with many expressing concern that Nga’s disappearance represents a dangerous precedent for extraterritorial targeting of exiled journalists who maintain connections to their home country.