US citizen Michael Phuong Minh Nguyen was detained in Vietnam after travelling there for a vacation and to visit family. He was arrested with many others in a so-called subversion conspiracy affair, where they allegedly planned to incite protests and attack government offices. However, due to the absence of a free press environment in Vietnam, the authorities successfully concealed information related to the case, and the defendants should be given the benefit of the doubt.

Moreover, while we are uncertain about the truth of the conviction, it is clear that Ho Chi Minh judicial authorities did not respect due process or any procedural requirement according to Vietnamese law. Nguyen was detained without justification for four months, then was not permitted visits from neither lawyers nor family; his relatives were also subjected to harassment and physical assaults.

Other defendants in this case are Huynh Duc Thanh Binh, Huynh Duc Thinh, and Tran Long Phi. A fifth person, Truong Quoc Bao, managed to escape when the police took him back to his home for a search, according to Facebooker Le My Hanh. There is no information on his escape and current situation, his relatives, and even his real name, causing observers to wonder about his survival and relationship with the security forces. The 88 Project is unable to verify his information and identity, and thus no profile has been created for Bao.