Legal actions against dissidents in Vietnam

In August 2026, Vietnamese courts issued prison sentences to two individuals on charges related to national security and state policy.

On 3 August, the Hanoi People's Court sentenced Doan Bao Chau to seven years in prison in an in absentia trial. Prosecutors alleged that Chau used Facebook and YouTube to disseminate information aimed at “opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” including attacks on state institutions. The court also imposed a five-year probation period and a fine.

On 19 August, a court in Dak Lak province sentenced Montagnard Protestant pastor Y Nuen Ayun to seven-and-a-half years in prison for “undermining the national unity policy.” Prosecutors claimed Ayun led unregistered religious activities and sought to establish a separate religious organization for ethnic minorities. While defense lawyers contested the conviction, the organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide criticized the ruling, stating that religious minorities are often “mischaracterized as separatist threats.” Ayun received four years of supervised probation following his sentence.