Dang Huu Nam

Dang Huu Nam is an outspoken advocate for the Formosa environmental disaster victims.

He is the former pastor of My Khanh parish in Nghe An province, but he was suspended from administering pastoral care due to his activism. He also previously worked in Vinh and Ha Tinh provinces. 

Nam’s activism is rooted in his religious beliefs. In 1999, he left his government job to become a monk because he strongly desired to help people. In 2008, Nam became a parish priest and helped to educate people. He taught people about their rights and the injustices in society. In addition, he has been an outspoken advocate against governmental corruption.

Nam fought to protect the environment and protect the victims of environmental degradation. He has devoted his life to fighting against public policy that hurts the Vietnamese people.

In 2016, soon after the Formosa toxic waste spill, Nam was one of the first to speak out against environmental degradation and the government’s lack of an effective response. He helped organize protests in the community. At most of the protests he organized, there were between 7,000 and 10,000 participants. The largest protest he organized had 20,000 attendees.

In addition to his organizing work, Nam also documented evidence of environmental harm and helped prepare legal documents that would help people bring future lawsuits against Formosa.

Due to his involvement in the Formosa protest movement, Nam has experienced harassment. He was detained many times during 2016-2018. Notably, he was threatened by state authorities and has received death threats. Nam is not sure who the death threats were from but suspects they were from the authorities and organizations associated with the Vietnamese Communist Party. 

Photo Source: Sky News.

Resources:

Interviews with Dang Huu Nam in February and March 2024. 

Essex lorry deaths: Victims believed to be from rural Vietnamese town, says priest, Sky News, October 26, 2019. Archived version.