A 43-year-old Falun Gong practitioner faces a year behind bars after a dispute over a national flag with local police escalated into a criminal conviction under Article 351 of Việt Nam’s Penal Code.
The Latest: At a trial on July 29, a court sentenced Bùi Thị Măng, 43, a resident of Mường Thanh Ward in Điện Biên Province, to one year in prison.
- She was convicted of “insulting the national flag” under Article 351 of Việt Nam’s Penal Code.
The Details: According to state media, Khúc Văn D., the head of the drug prevention team at the Mường Thanh Ward Police, encouraged residents to display the national flag in early February 2026.
- Măng declined the request.
At 9 a.m. on Feb. 6, Khúc Văn D. placed a flag at the entrance to Măng’s home.
- Half an hour later, she removed the flag and burned it with a lighter.
While state media did not report why Măng burned the flag, Măng stated she is a Falun Gong practitioner and did not consider displaying the national flag compatible with her beliefs.
In a “written statement” posted on her personal Facebook page on Feb. 14, Măng accused Khúc Văn Doan, whom she identified as the head of Mường Thanh Ward’s C17 unit, of carrying out a “planned persecution” against her.
- Măng said that Doan had “deliberately planted the red flag with a yellow star on the fence” of her home several times. She objected, but he continued.
- “The final time Doan came to hang the flag,” she said, “he secured it with nails so I could not pull it down, forcing me to use scissors to cut it down and burn it.”
- “Just as I finished burning it, Doan immediately appeared, called on everyone to witness what had happened and contacted the police,” Măng wrote.
According to Măng, Điện Biên provincial police searched her home and restricted her freedom of movement beginning Feb. 6, 2026.
Attempts to Contact: Luật Khoa Magazine contacted Măng through Facebook to request an interview but received no response.
Furthermore, Luật Khoa Magazine contacted the Mường Thanh Ward Police on the morning of Aug. 3 to verify the account and ask about the case.
- When asked about Khúc Văn Doan’s position, Nguyễn Văn Thành, deputy chief of the ward police, said that he “could not provide” that information and declined to answer further questions.
The Background: Việt Nam has prosecuted several other cases involving the offense of “insulting the national flag.” Previous incidents include:
- November 2018 — Đắk Lắk: Huỳnh Thục Vy was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison after spray-painting the national flag and posting images on Facebook.
- September 2020 — Quảng Bình: Three people were sentenced to six to nine months in prison for cutting down and damaging flags.
- February 2024 — Vĩnh Long: Nguyễn Hoàng Hưng was arrested for burning Việt Nam’s national flag.
- November 2024 — Thanh Hoá: Two people were charged after allegedly “tearing up the flag.”
Hoàng Nam wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on August 3, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine has the copyrights to the English translation.
