Police Detain Member of Dissident YouTube Channel Chan Hung TV, Giving No Explanation

The Security Investigation Agency of the Hanoi Police Department, on Dec. 29, 2023, arrested Phan Van Bach, 49, a former contributor to the independent YouTube channel Chan Hung TV (CHTV), which publishes videos on social issues and injustices in Vietnam. Bach’s family received a notice of his detention on Jan. 3; the police have not yet revealed the charges against Bach. 

Vu Manh Tuan, another CHTV contributor living in Nha Trang City, said that Bach was active on the channel from 2017 to 2019,  focusing on social issues and government abuses. Tuan told RFA that Bach was planning on quitting the channel recently. The public security forces in Vietnam often detain activists for days of interrogation before publicly disclosing the details of arrest warrants or charges. It remains unclear why the security department arrested Bach, who had recently been inactive.