Exposing a human trafficking ring that smuggles people abroad under the guise of tourism.

Trips are "drawn" by promises.

The People's Court of Nghe An province recently opened a trial for defendants Nguyen Thi Hoa Nhung (born in 1987, residing in Thai Nguyen province), Nguyen Thi Kieu Oanh (born in 2004, residing in Ha Tinh province), Phan Dinh Vuong (born in 1981), Nguyen Xuan Khiem (born in 1995), Bui Thi Thu (born in 1991), and Hoang Viet Tien (born in 1995), all residing in Nghe An province, on the charge of "Organizing the illegal emigration of others to foreign countries".

The ringleader of this illegal emigration ring was the defendant Nhung. She has a bad criminal record, having been sentenced to prison multiple times. In 2016, Nguyen Thi Hoa Nhung was sentenced by the Hai Duong Provincial People's Court to 36 months of suspended imprisonment for "Fraudulent appropriation of property." While on probation, Nhung was found to be involved in another crime.

Therefore, in July 2021, Nhung was sentenced by the Hanoi People's Court to 3 years in prison for "Organizing the illegal emigration of others" and 2 years and 6 months in prison for "Forging seals and documents of organizations and agencies". Combined with the previous sentence, the defendant was required to serve a total of 8 years and 6 months in prison.

Shortly afterward, this woman was again identified as the ringleader of a network organizing illegal emigration. In this instance, Nhung colluded with Vuong, Khiem, Thu, Tien, and Oanh to coordinate the process of advising, receiving documents and money, and organizing illegal emigration to the United States for work under the guise of tourism. For each case, the group would inflate the price to pocket the difference.

Investigators determined that from November 2022 to November 2024, Nhung colluded with other related individuals to advise, receive documents, and collect money to organize the travel of 16 people to the United States via tourist visas through a third country before illegally entering the US. Nhung directly advised and received money and documents from 8 of these individuals. For each application, Nhung collected a large sum of money, with some applications costing nearly billions of Vietnamese dong.

Driven by profit motives, from April 2023 to January 2024, Nguyen Xuan Khiem received money and documents from eight people to go to the US and stay there to work. Khiem then transferred these documents to Nhung and pocketed the difference. In early 2024, Nhung facilitated the departure of 12 people from Vietnam to Thailand, Russia, and Cuba, with the intention of continuing their journey to the US.

After entering Cuba, Nhung arranged for the workers to stay in hotels and took them to several tourist attractions. On February 6, 2024, these individuals were ordered to return to Vietnam by Cuban authorities. Four workers remained in Cuba because they had not yet obtained visas.

Regarding Phan Dinh Vuong's criminal activities, the investigating agency determined that from July 2023 to June 2024, he independently received documents and money, and provided advice to 10 workers to illegally go to the United States under the guise of tourism. Vuong then transferred 6 of these documents to Khiem. After receiving the documents, Khiem further passed them on to Nhung. Some time later, Nhung took several people to Cuba, but they were deported back to Vietnam.

In this case, Bui Thi Thu assisted Vuong in advising, receiving documents, and collecting money from four workers to process their applications for US visas. Nguyen Thi Kieu Oanh and Hoang Viet Tien assisted Thu and Vuong, guiding one worker through the illegal US visa application process. The investigating agency determined that the defendants' actions violated the law.

At the trial, the defendants admitted to committing the crimes out of greed. Many defendants stated that they only did things like preparing documents and collecting money as directed by Nhung and Vuong. Meanwhile, Nhung and Vuong admitted that they were not licensed by the authorities to provide consulting and recruitment services for overseas employment.

The price of blind faith

Attending the trial as interested parties, the workers clearly showed their sadness on their faces. They came from many rural areas, worked in different professions, but all shared a common desire to change their lives by going to the West. In some cases, even parents and young children submitted applications to the defendants to fulfill their dream of going abroad, like the family of Mr. Nguyen Van An (name changed). This family spent nearly 2 billion VND but received only bitter disappointment in return.

Holding several papers in his hand, Mr. Tran Van Bon (name changed), a middle-aged man, couldn't help but feel sad. He shared that because he wanted his son to have a high-paying job abroad, his family borrowed over 500 million VND to help him apply for a visa to the US. "They promised that once he got there, someone would find him a job with a high income, so we trusted them," he shared.

However, even after preparing the required documents, his son was still unable to leave the country. To date, not only is his future uncertain, but his family has also lost a large sum of money that they are now paying interest on. His biggest worry is not knowing when they will get that money back.

In the presence of workers and citizens, the panel of judges analyzed the case, noting that the workers, despite knowing that going to the US on tourist visas and then staying illegally, still agreed to submit their applications. Therefore, the initial civil transaction between the two parties was illegal. Consequently, the court did not consider the amount of money exchanged, allowing the parties to negotiate it themselves. However, through this case, the court also wanted to remind citizens to thoroughly investigate everything before agreeing to give money to anyone. Such actions not only result in financial loss but also lead to many other negative consequences.

Based on the above incident, the court advises people who wish to travel abroad or work overseas to seek advice and support from reputable centers, companies, and establishments authorized by the authorities to recruit and train workers. At the same time, people should thoroughly research legal regulations before intending to travel or work abroad to avoid being deceived or scammed.

In reality, some workers, due to a lack of understanding of legal regulations regarding labor export, inadvertently become victims of illegal labor trafficking rings. However, many others, wanting to "take shortcuts" and avoid rigorous examinations while still securing good jobs and high incomes, are willing to pay large sums of money to go abroad illegally.

Workers who go abroad illegally face many risks, lack legal protection, and risk their lives. Therefore, to avoid losing money and endangering their health and lives, workers need to thoroughly research the labor cooperation programs between the State and other countries. In particular, they must be wary of enticing promises from individuals not authorized by competent authorities to recruit workers for overseas employment.

Regarding this case, after reviewing the case comprehensively, the panel of judges sentenced Nguyen Thi Hoa Nhung to 8 years in prison; combining this with her existing sentence, the defendant must serve a total of 16 years in prison. The court sentenced Phan Dinh Vuong to 6 years in prison, Bui Thi Thu to 18 months in prison, and Hoang Van Tien to 15 months in prison. Nguyen Xuan Khiem received a 36-month prison sentence, and Nguyen Thi Kieu Oanh received a 12-month suspended sentence.