Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List: Vietnam

www.uscirf.gov/victims-list

USCIRF Recommended for Country of Particular Concern

Vietnam

Updated March 2024

Duong Van Minh

Authorities often prevent followers of the now deceased 

religious leader Duong Van Minh from assembling and 

practicing their religious traditions. While detained, many 

followers face pressure to renounce their faith.

Duong Van Lanh

religion or belief:

Duong Van Minh 

arrested:

December 2021

sentence:

3 Years, 9 Months’ Imprisonment

reason for persecution:

Attending a religious leader’s funeral 

Hoa Hao

While the government approves of a state-sponsored 

version of Hoa Hao, independent Hoa Hao religious groups 

face harassment and pressure to renounce their faith. 

Authorities have restricted the movement of Hoa Hao 

followers and seized their properties.

Nguyen Hoang Nam

religion or belief:

Hoa Hao 

arrested:

July 24, 2023

sentence: 8 Years’ Imprisonment

reason for persecution:

Accused of undermining religious and national 

unity through online posts

Khmer Krom Buddhists

The government has prohibited Khmer Krom Buddhists 

from appointing their own religious leaders, pressured them 

to adopt Vietnamese instead of Khmer as their liturgical 

language, and detained activists who try to promote and 

protect their rights as ethnic and religious minorities.

Dahn Minh Quang

religion or belief:

Buddhist

arrested:

July 31, 2023

sentence:

3 Years, 6 Months’ Imprisonment

reason for persecution:

Indigenous rights advocacy for a religious 

community 

Independent Evangelical Christians

Evangelical Christians, many of whom are ethnic minorities 

such as Hmong, Montagnard, or Dega people, face pressure 

to join the officially recognized Evangelical Church of Vietnam 

South. Those who do not can face harassment and even 

imprisonment. 

Y Pum Bya

religion or belief:

Protestant

arrested:

April 10, 2018

reports of torture:

Yes

sentence:

14 Years’ Imprisonment

reason for persecution:

Unregistered religious activity and religious 

freedom advocacy 

FoRB Victims List Stats

81 out of 2,282

Religion or Belief # of Victims

Unspecified/Other Buddhist 31

Protestant 28

Catholic 11

Hoa Hao 6

Duong Van Minh 4

Unspecified/Other Christian 1

Total 81

Type of Abuse # of Victims

Imprisoned 73

Detained 7

House Arrest 1

Total 81

Average Prison Sentence

9 Years, 6 Months

Reports of # of Victims

Torture 6

Medical Neglect 6

Total 12
Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List: Vietnam

www.uscirf.gov/victims-list

USCIRF Recommended for Country of Particular Concern

Vietnam

Updated March 2024

Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List Background

The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), as amended by the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2016, 

requires USCIRF to:

make publicly available, to the extent practicable...lists of persons it determines are imprisoned or detained, have 

disappeared, been placed under house arrest, been tortured, or subjected to forced renunciation of faith for their religious 

activity or religious freedom advocacy by the government of a foreign country that the Commission recommends for 

designation as a country of particular concern [CPC]...or by a nonstate actor that the Commission recommends for 

designation as an entity of particular concern [EPC]. 

USCIRF developed the Frank R. Wolf Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Victims List—an online public database—to implement this 

provision for countries USCIRF recommends for Country of Particular Concern (CPC) or Special Watch List (SWL) status. The list also 

includes such victims located in the de facto territories of nonstate actors that USCIRF recommends for Entity of Particular Concern (EPC) 

status, according to the same criteria.

Due to limited resources, USCIRF is unable to identify and document all victims that meet the statutory requirement to be included on 

the FoRB Victims List and generally relies on receiving submissions from outside individuals and organizations. As such, the information 

contained in the database does not reflect country, regional, or global trends. Furthermore, percentages highlighted in this section should 

not be used for extrapolation purposes nor interpreted as a particular group experiencing greater violations than another or a particular 

country committing violations at a greater rate than others. To support this project, USCIRF invites those with credible information on 

victims to submit information using the Victims List Intake Form at www.uscirf.gov/form/uscirf-victims-list-intake-form. 

FoRB Victims List Stats Overall

Perpetrator Victims Documented

Algeria 5 

Azerbaijan 11 

Burma 5 

China 798 

Cuba 11 

Egypt 18 

Eritrea 61

Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) 2 

Houthis 3 

India 55 

Indonesia 9 

Iran 351 

Iraq 2 

Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) 1 

Kazakhstan 16 

Malaysia 4 

Nicaragua 68 

Nigeria 9 

North Korea 11 

Pakistan 87 

Russia 488 

Saudi Arabia 50 

Sri Lanka 1 

Tajikistan 16 

Turkmenistan 31 

Uzbekistan 88 

Vietnam 81 

Total 2,282 

Religion or Belief Victims Documented

Adivasi 1 

Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light 3

Baha’i 169 

Bon 1 

Buddhist – Hoa Hao 6 

Buddhist – Theravada 3 

Buddhist – Tibetan 93 

Buddhist – Unspecified/Other 32 

Christian – Catholic 79 

Christian – Church of Almighty God 240 

Christian – Jehovah’s Witness 283

Christian – Orthodox 21 

Christian – Protestant 150 

Christian – Unspecified/Other 65 

Duong Van Minh 4 

ECKist (Eckankar) 1 

Erfan-e Halgheh Practitioner 3 

Falun Gong 217

Hindu 10 

Humanist 1 

Jewish 1 

Muslim – Ahmadiyya 20

Muslim – Qur’anist 1 

Muslim – Shi’a 40 

Muslim – Sufi 64 

Muslim – Sunni 412 

Muslim – Unspecified/Other 233

Santeria 5 

Scientologist 1 

Shaman 1 

Sikh 1 

Yarsani 38 

Unknown/Unspecified 83

Total 2,282
Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List: Vietnam

www.uscirf.gov/victims-list

USCIRF Recommended for Country of Particular Concern

Vietnam

Updated March 2024

Not Released

Nguyen Hoang Nam

To Hoang Chuong

Thach Cuong

Dahn Minh Quang

Ju

Kunh

Lup

Y Tup Knul

Le Tung Van

Le Thanh Nhi Nguyen

Cao Thi Cuc

Le Thanh Nhat Nguyen

Le Thanh Trung Duong

Le Thanh Hoan Nguyen

Vuong Tan Son

Vo Tiet

Vo Thanh Le

Vo Ngoc Cu

Tu Thien Luong

Tran Quan

Tran Phi Dung

Ta Khu

Nguyen Thai Binh

Nguyen Ky Lac

Nguyen Dinh

Luong Nhat Quang

Le Trong Cu

Le Phuc

Le Duy Loc

Doan Van Cu

A Jen

A Tach

Y Wo Nie

Ro Mah Them

Siu Chon

Rah Lan Rah

Dinh Yum

Dinh Nong

Ro Lan Kly

Ksor Kam

Puih Bop

Ro Ma Daih

Kpuih Khuong

Rah Lan Hip

Y Min Ksor

Y Pum Bya

Y Yich

Ksor Pup

Ksor Phit

Siu Dik

Siu Doang

Ksor Ruk

Nay Y Blang

Ly Van Dung

Ly Xuan Anh

Duong Van Lanh

Duong Van Tu

Released

Nguyen Bac Truyen

Le Thi Hong Hanh

Bui Van Tham

Bui Van Trung

Phan Thanh Y

Phan Thanh Tuong

Le Duc Dong

Do Thi Hong

Ho Duc Hoa

A Dao

Unknown

Bui Thi Bich Tuyen 

Dinh Kuh 

Run 

A Tik 

A Kuin 

Runh 

Y Hriam Kpa 

Rmah Khil 

Rmah Bloanh 

Siu Hlom 

Sung A Khua 

Ro Mah Pla

Deceased

Doan Dinh Nam

Phan Van Thu