Deputy Minister of Culture updates information on Hong Dang and Ho Hoai Anh incident

On the morning of July 5, the Office of the President held a press conference to announce the President's orders on promulgating laws recently passed at the 3rd Session of the 15th National Assembly.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong.

At the press conference, many press agencies asked the leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism about the case of two artists Hong Dang and musician Ho Hoai Anh, who are being accused of "sexually abusing a 17-year-old minor" and "invading privacy".

Answering these questions, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong said that the incident related to artist Hong Dang and musician Ho Hoai Anh is still "suspicious" because there is no conclusion from the host country.

"As of Sunday morning (July 4), the two men (Hong Dang and Ho Hoai Anh - PV) are still at large, waiting to meet the judge and have lawyers to handle legal issues. The Vietnamese Embassy has sent people to the scene to provide legal assistance," Mr. Dong informed, and said that so far, he can only provide that information.

Regarding the opinion that the story of Hong Dang and Ho Hoai Anh going abroad without permission shows that the management of civil servants of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is still lax, Mr. Dong affirmed that this opinion is incorrect.

He stated that not only the officials of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism but also all ministries, branches and agencies, civil servants and public employees are managed according to the law. Any civil servant or public employee going abroad must ask for permission from the head of the unit or the governing agency.

"The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also decentralizes management like that, there is nothing special. Artists are not given priority," Mr. Dong shared.

Mr. Dong emphasized that in his opinion, artists are also citizens and must follow the laws of the State. Famous people must be even more careful, especially when going abroad.

"We have thoroughly informed all cadres, civil servants, public employees, and artists that the first thing is that citizens must obey Vietnamese law and when traveling abroad, they must obey the laws of the host country during business trips or vacations. If they violate the law, they will be handled according to regulations," said Mr. Dong.

Regarding the two cases of artists accused in Spain, Mr. Dong said that currently, the law of the host country Spain has not yet reached a conclusion, so the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is waiting for the conclusion to handle the next steps.

Earlier, the local newspaper Ultima Hora reported that the British woman told the authorities that two men (one 37 years old, the other 42 years old) attacked her at a hotel in Andratx, southwest of Mallorca (Spain) after they met at a nearby restaurant. The two characters were described as famous Vietnamese actors and musicians.

According to the 17-year-old girl, the two men forced her to take a bath after committing the depraved act to remove evidence that could incriminate them.

The artist duo were arrested at their hotel in the early hours of Saturday (June 25) and have now been released on bail but are banned from leaving Spain while the investigation is ongoing.

On July 1, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the police on the island of Mallorca (Spain) announced that they had arrested two Vietnamese citizens on charges of “sexual assault of a 17-year-old minor” and “violation of privacy”; but did not disclose their identities.

With information confirmed by authorities, up to now, many sources have confirmed that the two Vietnamese citizens accused above are actor Hong Dang and musician Ho Hoai Anh.