Huynh Duc Thanh Binh
Huỳnh Đức Thanh Bình
Current Status: Sentenced to prison
Date of Birth: July 14, 1996
Gender: M
Ethnicity: Kinh
Occupation: Student
Known Prison(s):
Xuan Loc prison, Dong Nai province (Unknown - present)
Activist Focus:
- Freedom of expression
- Sovereignty
Details
Immediate Concerns
March 2025:
Huynh Duc Thanh Binh's health has worsened after he staged a weeklong hunger strike ending on March 13, 2025, his mother told Project88. Nguyen Thi Hue said her son had lost about 3kg after the ordeal, which also resulted in several other political prisoners being moved to a different section of Xuan Loc Prison. Binh was protesting a change in food distribution procedures begun in March that has allegedly caused many political prisoners to go hungry.
At lunch time, carts of food were wheeled to an area near the cells and prisoners were now free to self-serve. However, by the time those working in the fields make it back to the lunch area there, is hardly any food left for them. Some days they had to survive on just water, Binh told his mother during her visit on March 18. Also, beginning in March, new rules only allow prisoners to buy no more than 2 million dong ($80) each month of supplies from the commissary instead of the unlimited amount that was allowed before. The new limitation, coupled with the fact that things cost two to three times more in prison, has severely reduced the amount of supplemental food prisoners can buy.
To make matters worse, there's reportedly no clean potable water; prisoners must drink from the same water source used for washing and cleaning. Binh said the water has a dark yellowish color, and many people have developed skin diseases. Despite the poor living conditions and the resulting health problems, Binh said he has not had a single medical exam in the past six years.
February 2025:
Huynh Duc Thanh Binh's mother, Nguyen Thi Hue, visited him at Xuan Loc Prison on Feb. 18 and reported that 11 prisoners, some of whom are other political prisoners, have been refusing prison food since Feb. 13 to demand better treatment. Specifically, they're asking for: 1) better healthcare, particularly for dental and eye conditions; 2) cleaner water since they believe the wells are contaminated; 3) allowing prisoners to have paper to write on; and 4) allowing political prisoners to go out to the common area at least once a week to socialize.
Oct. 2024:
Tran Long Phi, who received an eight-year sentence for participating in protests against the Cybersecurity Bill in 2018, was released 21 months early from prison on Oct. 23. Phi said it was a total surprise, and he was not notified ahead of time. Phi was arrested in June 2017 along with several other individuals, including Huynh Duc Thanh Binh, who remains in prison serving a 10-year sentence for violating Article 109 — “activities to overthrow the government.”
On Oct. 22, Binh’s mother visited him at Xuan Loc Prison after hearing rumors that her son would be released early. She told Project88 that Binh looked healthy, albeit a little thin, and was in good spirits. She said Binh laughed heartily upon hearing the rumor of his release.
Background
Binh is a student in Economic Law at the University of Economics and Finance. He lived in Ho Chi Minh City before his arrest.
History of Activism
Binh is known as a human rights activist. On June 10, 2018, Huynh Duc Thanh Binh attended a large and peaceful demonstration against the Draft Law on Special Economic Zones in Ho Chi Minh City.
Family Situation
Thanh Binh is the son of Huynh Duc Thinh, a former political prisoner, who was arrested one day after his arrest, alleged to have covered his activities in human rights protection. His parents are divorced, and his mother is the only one who supplies food and other items to him and his father.
March 2023:
Nguyen Thi Hue, Huynh Duc Thanh Binh's mother, was summoned by Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) police on March 30 to “discuss issues related to public order and security.” On her Facebook page, Hue said she was perplexed because she had gone into seclusion since her son’s conviction and rarely appeared online or in public, focusing most of her time and energy on practicing Buddhism.
Sentenced to 10 years in prison and 3 years probation under Art. 109 (2015 Code). Expected Release is July 7, 2028.
June 24, 2019 - Date of trial
Nguyen Van Mieng
10 years in prison and 3 years probation
July 7, 2028
Details of Imprisonment
He was arrested on July 7 by the authorities in Ho Chi Minh City when he returned from a tour of Hue and Danang. He was arrested under the Art. 109 of the 2015 Criminal Code for ‘Activities against the People’s government’.
In 2024, his mother, Nguyen Thi Hue, told Project88 that on the day of his arrest, about 50 police personnel went to her house and searched everywhere, including inside the water pipes in the bathroom, but found nothing. The only items they ended up taking away were his laptop, phone, and iPad.
February 2019:
It is possible that authorities will soon hold a trial against US citizen Michael Nguyen and two others arrested at the same time, Huynh Duc Thanh Binh and Tran Long Phi. An investigator reportedly told Phi's relatives to expect an upcoming trial, as they had completed their investigation.
April 2019:
After being held in a detention center for nine months, accused of “carrying out activities aiming at overthrowing the people’s administration”, Huynh Duc Thanh Binh was finally able to meet his mother on April 17, 2019. His mother, Hue, revealed that their meeting only lasted 30 minutes and revolved around family topics. There were three public security officers surrounding them and threatening to stop their conversation if they changed the topic. Also, Binh had been not allowed to meet with his defense counsel, Nguyen Van Mieng, although his mother signed a contract with him after Binh’s arrest.
May 2019:
Authorities were refusing to allow Huynh Duc Thanh Binh a visit with his lawyer, Nguyen Van Mieng, for "national security reasons." Mieng stated that since the initial investigation period has ended, under Vietnamese law, authorities must allow Mieng to meet with his client. Binh's mother was able to visit him recently and reported he was in good health, but she was unable to obtain information on his case.
June 2019:
The People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City tried Michael Nguyen, Huynh Duc Thanh Binh, Tran Long Phi, and Huynh Duc Thinh (Binh's father) on Monday June 24, 2019. Michael Nguyen was sentenced to 12 years, Huynh Duc Thanh Binh to 10 years, Tran Long Phi to eight years, and Huynh Duc Thinh to one year. Nguyen will be deported after completing his sentence. All except Thinh were convicted of subversion for allegedly planning to incite protests and attack government offices. The four were arrested in July, 2018. Another person, Truong Quoc Bao (Thomas Quoc Bao), was also arrested at the same time, but he managed to escape when the police took him back to his home for a search. There is no news on his whereabouts. It was a short and speedy trial in Ho Chi Minh city. Scheduled to be a two day trial, it was finished in less than four hours.
The 88 Project is aware of and investigating the claims of violence involved in these cases. However, in the absence of a free press environment, the defendants should be given the benefit of the doubt, and any accusation by the authorities against them should not be taken for granted.
May 2020:
Prison officials in Xuan Loc Prison Camp in Dong Nai Province beat six political prisoners after they petitioned to be able to work outside more frequently during the weekends. The six were also placed in solitary confinement after being beaten. Huynh Duc Thanh Binh’s mother learned of the incident after a visit to her son on May 12. After he told her about the attack, prison officials cut their visit short. Binh’s mother wrote a petition to the prison demanding an investigation into the incident. It is unknown who the other five prisoners are who were beaten.
March 2022:
Nguyen Thi Hue, mother of Huynh Duc Thanh Binh, visited him at Xuan Loc prison on March 11, 2022, and was allowed to give him homemade food and books. Binh and his inmates are okay but suffering from mange and ringworm caused by acidic polluted water. Xuan Loc prisoners have complained many times to no avail.
June 2022:
Bui Thi Hong Loan, wife of Pham Chi Dung, reported that Dung had been refusing to eat his meat and fish rations since June 5 to protest against prison officials not letting his fellow political prisoners receive medications or dental treatment. According to our sources, Dung’s fellow political prisoner Huynh Duc Thanh Binh also told his mother about Dung’s protest when she visited him on June 14. Binh said many political prisoners in his camp suffer from toothaches, making it difficult for them to eat. Their faces are often swollen and red. Their health is gradually deteriorating, yet they are not given proper medical treatment.
March 2024:
Huynh Duc Thanh Binh’s mother, Nguyen Thi Hue, visited him at Xuan Loc Prison on March 19. Binh told her that most of the 25 men in his unit, himself included, suffer from nasal, throat and breathing issues. A former inmate at Xuan Loc, who has often visited Hue since his release from prison, told her that prisoners there only get to eat twice a day, at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and that the meals consist of so little food that they’re constantly hungry.
May 2024:
Binh's mother, Nguyen Thi Hue, visited him in Xuan Loc Prison on May 21 and reported that Binh was healthy.
July 2024:
Huynh Duc Thanh Binh told his mother, Nguyen Thi Hue, that he had “symptoms that resemble malaria” twice a day for several days last month before he was treated with medication.
Resources
Vietnam arrests US citizen, four locals on subversion allegation amid Growing social dissatisfaction, Defend the Defenders, July 28, 2018
Young Activist Huynh Duc Thanh Binh charged with Subversion, Defend the Defenders, August 8, 2018
Sinh viên Huỳnh Đức Thanh Bình bị khởi tố, Hội Sinh viên Nhân Quyền, August 8, 2018
Vietnam Detainee is Denied Contact With His Lawyer in Move Contrary to Law, Radio Free Asia, May 9. 2019
In Vietnam, U.S. Citizen Gets 12-Year Sentence for Trying to Overthrow State, The New York Times, June 24, 2019
Vietnam jails American for 12 years on charge of attempting to overthrow state, Reuters, June 24, 2019
Nguyen Thi Hue Facebook post, March 2022
Family interviews, March, May 2024, February 2025
Profile last updated: 2025-04-09 00:11:15