A Đà Nẵng resident filed repeated complaints; authorities called them false and made another arrest under Article 331.
The Latest: On Aug. 17, Đà Nẵng police announced that they had charged and placed Bùi Thị Thơm in pretrial detention.
- Born in 1969, Thơm is being investigated for “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State and the lawful rights and interests of organizations and individuals” under Article 331 of the 2015 Penal Code.
The Details: Authorities stated that the case originated from a 2012 credit agreement dispute between Thơm and VietABank.
- A court ruled at the time that Thơm had violated her obligations and ordered her to repay the debt, with the collateral subject to seizure if she failed to do so.
- During the handling of the dispute, Thơm repeatedly filed complaints and denunciations concerning the judgment, its enforcement, the auction of the collateral, and the responsibilities of those involved.
Investigators said that Thơm repeatedly submitted complaints and denunciations to Communist Party and government agencies at various levels between 2016 and 2026.
- Police described the submissions as “repetitive and prolonged” and noted that they raised allegations against numerous officials, leaders, and other people.
- Furthermore, police accused Thơm of submitting “untrue and baseless” claims that affected the honor, reputation, and interests of several individuals.
- Investigators stated that relevant authorities had received and resolved Thơm’s submissions in accordance with the law, but that she continued filing them.
Authorities have not disclosed what Thơm’s complaints and denunciations contained or why they were deemed “untrue and baseless.”
- Đà Nẵng police also did not explain how the submissions had been reviewed and resolved.
- Luật Khoa contacted Đà Nẵng police to verify the information but has not received a response.
Social Media Takes: Under articles about the case posted on related social media pages, most users stated that Thơm deserved to be prosecuted and called on police to handle the case strictly.
- However, other social media users opposed the police allegations, arguing that Thơm had merely exercised a legitimate right and should not have been arrested.
The Background: For years, Vietnamese authorities have imprisoned people under Article 331 for expressing dissenting views on social media and exercising their rights to file complaints and denunciations.
- Most recently, on Aug. 12, Đắk Lắk provincial police charged and placed Hồ Viết Hợi in pretrial detention under Article 331 for advising people on how to file complaints.
However, Article 6 of the Law on Complaints and Article 8 of the Law on Denunciations prohibit “obstructing or causing inconvenience” to people exercising their rights to file complaints or denunciations.
Why It Matters: Article 331 is frequently criticized as “redundant” because of its vague language and lack of clear legal criteria, which critics say make it susceptible to government abuse as a means of controlling freedom of expression.
Human Rights Watch reported that during the first 10 months of 2025, Vietnamese authorities arrested at least 40 people under broadly worded provisions such as articles 331 and 117 of the Penal Code.
- Those arrested were accused of criticizing the government, its leaders or government-aligned people and organizations, or of having connections to independent religious or political groups.
- High-profile individuals convicted under Article 331 include Atty. Trần Đình Triển and journalist Trương Huy San.
Lê Sáng wrote this news article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on August 20, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.
