A land dispute in the Việt Nam’s Central Highlands has led to another controversial arrest under Article 331, a highly contested penal code provision.
The Latest: On Aug. 12, Đắk Lắk Provincial Police stated that they had charged and detained Hồ Viết Hợi, born in 1983, for investigation on charges of “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: Investigators said that Hợi had guided and encouraged several households to file complaints and petitions related to land-contracting issues with Thắng Lợi Coffee Company.
- They also stated that he took part in organizing “large gatherings” and “obstructed functional forces from performing their duties.”
- Police also said that Hợi had repeatedly livestreamed on social media about residents’ complaints and made “contrary, false” comments.
- Police alleged that Hợi’s actions obstructed authorities’ handling of the case as well as the operations of several agencies and organizations, “causing public frustration” and “negatively affecting security and order in the area.”
Citing Hợi’s case, Đắk Lắk Provincial Police advised residents to file complaints and denunciations according to proper procedures to avoid being “influenced or drawn in” to legal violations.
- It remains unclear how Hợi guided residents in filing complaints, how he organized large gatherings, or what “contrary, false” content he livestreamed.
- Đắk Lắk Provincial Police also did not clarify how the complaints filed by other residents were being handled.
Luật Khoa contacted Đắk Lắk Provincial Police to verify the information but has not received a response.
Social Media Response: In posts about the case on related social media pages, most accounts said that Hợi deserved prosecution and that police should handle the case strictly.
- However, some accounts pushed back against the police allegations, saying that Hợi was only helping residents exercise legitimate rights and should not have been arrested.
The Background: Since 2011, many households have complained about coffee-farming land contracts with Thắng Lợi Coffee Company in Ea Knuếc Commune, Đắk Lắk Province, formerly Hòa Đông Commune, Krông Pắk District.
- In 2004, Thắng Lợi Company and local households signed more than 1,100 coffee-growing cooperation contracts lasting 50 years on more than 614 hectares of land.
- The company later did not contribute investment capital for coffee cultivation or annual production costs.
- Residents invested in production themselves and received the products, while the land remained assigned to the company for management.
- Since 2011, many households have filed complaints, saying their rights were not adequately protected and demanding that all the land they had invested labor and money in be returned to them.
- In February 2025, the Đắk Lắk Provincial Inspectorate concluded that Thắng Lợi Company had committed multiple violations in land contracting and contract signing with residents.
- The inspectorate also found that responsibility lay with company leaders over different periods and recommended recovering the entire coffee-growing cooperation area and assigning it to local authorities for management.
- During the complaint process, local authorities repeatedly met with residents, held dialogues, and responded to petitions, but residents still disagreed, saying the matter had not been resolved satisfactorily.
Current Law: Under the law, Article 6 of the Law on Complaints and Article 8 of the Law on Denunciations both prohibit “obstructing or causing trouble” for people exercising their right to complain or denounce.
Why It Matters: For years, many people in Việt Nam have been imprisoned under Article 331 of the 2015 Penal Code for expressing dissenting views on social media or exercising their rights to file complaints and denunciations.
- The provision is often criticized as “redundant” because of its vague language, a lack of clear legal criteria, and the risk that authorities may abuse it to control citizens’ freedom of expression.
Human Rights Watch said that in the first 10 months of 2025, Vietnamese authorities arrested at least 40 people under vague legal provisions such as Article 331 and Article 117 of the Penal Code for allegedly criticizing the government, leaders, or pro-government individuals and organizations or for links to independent religious or political groups.
- Those included notable individuals who were later sentenced to prison, such as 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 14, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.
