Vietnamese religious freedom activist detained in Thailand after Trump resettlement ban

Source: Hoang Thi Ngoc, wife of Nguyen Van An

“I now face the risk of deportation to Vietnam, where my life would be in danger, and I would face imprisonment. I plead for you to speak up and intervene so that I can be released from the IDC in Thailand soon… I also ask for help in advocating for my family to be resettled in a third country where we can live and enjoy religious freedom and basic human rights,” Nguyen Van An said in an audio-recorded plea for help from the Immigration Detention Center [in Bangkok] on June 22, 2025.

Nguyen Van An (Nguyễn Văn Ân), a Vietnamese religious freedom activist, was arrested in Bangkok by Thai authorities on May 27, 2025, for illegally entering the country and working without authorization. An is currently at risk of being deported back to Vietnam, where he faces up to five years in prison.

From parishioner to activist

An had a political awakening after witnessing a brutal 2017 police attack on fellow parishioners in his hometown of Ke Gai, Hung Tay commune, Nghe An province.

On December 17, 2017, police attacked a group of people while they were irrigating fields on land that had been donated for a new church project. A petition from 17 parish members claimed the police assaulted the group, seriously injuring one man who needed hospital care and injuring over 30 others.

Nguyen Van An recorded videos of the incident and served helped to make official complaints to the government. He also reported the incident to UN expert on freedom of religion in February 2018. An faced reprisals for his report and was summoned by the police for questioning on at least four occasions.[1] His case was later featured in a 2019 UN report on reprisals.

On September 26, 2018, authorities issued a warrant for An’s arrest. The warrant alleged he led a group in the parish that unlawfully detained police officers during the 2017 incident.

Seeking refuge in Thailand

Fearing imprisonment, An fled to Thailand on May 17, 2018.  His family joined him in Thailand the following year.

“Following an incident on December 17, 2017, when the Vietnamese authorities mobilized the Red Flag Association and riot police to suppress the parishioners of Ke Gai Parish in a land dispute, the police later prosecuted me, seeking to arrest and silence me, even though I was merely a witness and a victim of that attack. The authorities issued a warrant for my arrest, forcing me to flee to Thailand to seek protection from the UNHCR [UN High Commissioner For Refugees.” [2]

Despite ongoing challenges, An has remained a committed advocate for human rights. Sources close to An confirm that he has trained fellow activists and documented human rights abuses in Vietnam. While in Thailand, An played a key role in the Refugee Assistance Foundation and raised funds to organize festivals for refugee children.

An (dressed in white) participating in community work in Thailand in 2022. Source: Hoang Thi Ngoc.

Ngoc, An’s wife, said that on November 18, 2024, their family was invited to resettle to the United States.[3] However, President Donald Trump’s refugee resettlement freeze, which came into effect on January 20, 2025, stalled the process. Ngoc continues checking the U.S. Resettlement Support Center’s website for updates, but the promised 90-day pause on refugee resettlement has stretched beyond four months without resolution.

Since An and his family arrived to Thailand in 2018, they have endured immense hardships. His wife told Project88 that they have lived in constant fear that An would be kidnapped and forced to return to Vietnam, a fear that has been compounded by Thailand’s non-signatory status to the Convention on Refugees, which barred them from legal employment and subjected them to frequent document checks.

In Thailand, An sold sugarcane juice to support his family. He has been detained multiple times by Thai police for working illegally.

Arrest in Thailand while awaiting resettlement

On May 27 three officials from the Thai Department of Employment (under the Ministry of Labour) arrested An while he was selling sugarcane juice at a local market.[4] He was taken to Bangkhen Police Station, where he was fined 8,000 Thai baht for illegally entering Thailand and working without a permit. An appeared in court the following day, May 28, 2025. Unable to pay the fine, An was ordered by the court to complete 16 days of community service.

In a letter sent to his wife via his lawyer on June 9, 2025, An pleaded for assistance, saying: “I urgently request that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office, the Center for Asylum Protection (CAP) office, and human rights organizations intervene to prevent my deportation to Vietnam under any circumstances. At this time, my wishes are:

• Human rights organizations actively advocate to protect me and my family from being deported to Vietnam.
• Expedite and support my family’s resettlement application, as we face constant danger in Thailand.”[5]

An added, “I categorically refuse to return to Vietnam for any reason.”

A pattern of cooperation between Vietnam and Thailand

An has reason to believe that he may be deported. On June 12, 2025, he was transferred from Pathum Thani Central Detention Center to the IDC. During the transfer, he contacted his family and reported that on June 10, a Vietnamese embassy official in Bangkok visited him.[6] The official, who did not disclose his name, said he was informed of An’s arrest and urged him to sign a voluntary repatriation document to return to Vietnam, which An refused to do. The official said he would come back to see An at a later date. 

“An wants the best for his community and family, which drove him to become an activist. He should not face punishment for this. Our two young daughters need their father’s love and support as they grow,” said Ngoc, An’s wife.

Nguyen Van An and his family in Thailand. Source: Hoang Thi Ngoc

In recent years, there has been a surge in targeted detentions of Vietnamese activists and refugees, particularly Montagnards. While Thai authorities have claimed that they are merely enforcing immigration law, activities argue that these detentions are a response to diplomatic pressure from Vietnam.

An is at risk of being deported to Vietnam. If deported, he will be tried by a judicial system that is not independent and he and faces up to five years in prison.

Project88 calls on the Thai government to release An and facilitate his resettlement to a safe, third country.

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[1] Project88 has reviewed three of these four summonses, which occurred May 5, 2018, May 17, 2018, and September 17, 2018.

[2] Project88 received An’s audio-recorded plea for help from the Immigration Detention Center (IDC) on June 22, 2025.

[3] Interview with Hoang Thi Ngoc on June 4, 2025.

[4] Interview with Hoang Thi Ngoc on June 4, 2025.

[5] Interview with Hoang Thi Ngoc on June 9, 2025.

[6] Interview with Hoang Thi Ngoc on June 12, 2025.

Project88, July 2025 (CC BY-NC 4.0)

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