On Dec. 30, famous Vietnamese writer and karate artist Doan Bao Chau, currently in hiding from police, reported that his family is being harassed by the communist authorities in an alleged attempt to locate him.
Chau has been targeted by authorities following posts on Facebook and interviews with international media; all of which lambasted the government’s draconian restrictions, as reported by Radio Free Asia (RFA). Following a request for his arrest, Chau fled Vietnam in early 2024. They claimed that the situation was “not a problem.”
Still, Chau said that they have continued to hound his family since his departure.
On June 21, Chau was summoned by Vietnam’s Security Investigation Agency based on a report from the Cybersecurity and High-tech Crime Prevention Division. In the meeting, Chau was shown a document that forbade him from fleeing Vietnam, as well as a file containing a request for his arrest.
According to the officer who talked to Chau, the writer was accused of producing and spreading content that criticized authorities and misled the public through six videos. While most of these videos were interviews with human rights activists, there was another video of him being interviewed by BBC Vietnamese in 2016.
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After the meeting, Chau was told that he would be free to go home. Yet, fearing for his well-being, he still fled to safety. Following another summons which he failed to appear for, the search for him began.
“On the one hand, they said they would not pursue my case because it’s not serious,” Chau told RFA. “On the other hand, they are hunting for me and harassing my family.”
Chau said that police had visited his house, and had summoned his wife to their headquarters for questioning. They also called Chau’s son’s teachers and friends to get even more information. Worse still, his brother’s and sister’s homes were also raided under suspicions that he was hiding there.
After the search grew in December, Chau shared the six videos again to prove his innocence.
Chau was made popular following his defeat in a friendly karate match with Canadian karate artist Pierre Francois Flores in 2017. While Flores praised Chau for his performance, the Vietnamese fighter was honest with his disappointment for his own shortcomings.
“Firstly, I am too complacent to refuse the narrow area and this is contrary to the intended strategy. I was not a good coach and manager of my own,” Chau said, according to a post published in 2017 by the Hanoi Times.
“Secondly, my will was not strong enough to make a decisive blow, and I did not think fast enough to get out when I was cornered by a big opponent.”
Still, he was hopeful that he could do better in the future.
“After this, everything can slow down but I still work diligently and steadfastly on my martial arts path,” he said.
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Hanoi’s media control
Amidst Chau’s situation online, Vietnam had begun to tighten its repressive laws on social media users. Hanoi’s new Decree 147, which came into effect on Christmas Day, requires users to verify their identities and gives authorities the power to request user data and delete content that is deemed “illegal”.
These new laws are also designed to prevent addiction by restricting gaming for those under the age of 18. Game publishers are also required to contribute to the laws by making a time limit of one hour per game session, no more than 180 minutes a day.
Out of the 100 million people living in Vietnam, more than half play games on a regular basis, data research firm Newzoo claims.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has requested Hanoi to lift the “draconian” decree, which is believed to be a threat to information access and freedom of expression.
“Vietnam’s new Decree 147 and its other cybersecurity laws neither protect the public from any genuine security concerns nor respect fundamental human rights,” Patricia Gossman, HRW’s associate Asia director, said.
