Ong Thi Thuy

Vu Bich Van and Ong Thi Thuy were not known in Vietnam as activists prior to their arrests.

Vu Bich Van and Ong Thi Thuy were two people among 32 households residing in Vinh Trai Ward, Lang Son, until their houses and lands were “recovered” by local authorities for the purpose of constructing townhouses. Vu Bich Van and Ong Thi Thuy, representing the 32 households at Vinh Trai Ward, Lang Son, wrote many letters of complaint accusing the local authorities of wrongdoings when carrying out the urban planning project in the area of these households.

The proposed aim of the project in 2004 was originally to develop a “Public Center and Green Land,” but the project was not carried out in a transparent way. Land use plans were rewritten repeatedly during the years to fit the authority’s narratives, which put these households at a disadvantage. However, afterwards, the households realized that there was no “Public Center and Green Land” project being built on their seized land. Instead, the project was actually clearing ground, building an electricity system, and creating new roads to divide the area into plots of land for sale at a price which was several times higher than the original government-fixed price paid to the former residents.

The households continued to lodge complaints, but they have not been settled appropriately by the authorities.

On October 3, 2022, according to state media, Vu Bich Van and Ong Thi Thuy were accused of using their Facebook accounts over a long period of time to film and upload video clips of people protesting and complaining to the authorities about the residential project at Vinh Trai Ward in Lang Son.