Vietnamese authorities have charged a 23-year-old man with rape following an allegation by a 24-year-old American student who said she was assaulted on July 5 during a group holiday in Phu Tho province.
Officials confirmed the legal proceedings on Thursday, stating they were initiated in accordance with Vietnamese law. The man’s identity has not been disclosed, and he did not respond to inquiries sent via social media.
The alleged victim, Nguyen Thi Quynh Tam, reported the incident to police and later sought assistance from U.S. officials and a U.S. lawmaker. Tam, who moved to the U.S. with her family at age 5, had returned to Vietnam in May for a banking internship. She joined a group of acquaintances on a July 4 trip to a resort near Hanoi.
According to Tam’s complaint, she was locked out of her expected sleeping quarters and entered another bedroom with the door unlocked. She awoke to the man kissing her neck. When she told him to stop, he ignored her, pinned her arms, and raped her. Tam said she fought back, shouting “No!” and punching him before he overpowered her.
Tam’s decision to speak publicly about the assault is unusual in Vietnam, where sexual violence is rarely discussed openly. She stated her goal was to help protect other women, saying, “I’m doing this not just for me. But for everybody else that has been harmed.”
Vietnam’s foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang confirmed the charges but did not address questions about alleged police pressure to settle the case privately. Tam also claimed she was pressured by the man’s family to accept money and drop the matter, a claim not independently verified by officials.
Authorities have not provided further details about the investigation or the evidence supporting the charges. The case remains ongoing, with no trial date announced.