Nguyễn Thanh Hải (fourth from right) and accomplices are informed of their pre-trial detention orders. — Photo courtesy of HCM City Police

HCM CITY — Vietnamese police have arrested and detained Nguyễn Thanh Hải, a well-known self-styled vigilante who gained public attention for claiming to rescue trafficking victims, accusing him of extortion and involvement in an organised cross-border smuggling network.

Hải, often referred to on social media as “Hải the vigilante,” was formally charged and placed in pre-trial detention late last year, HCM City police said in a statement released on Friday.

Investigators allege that Hải abused his public image as a humanitarian rescuer to extort money from families seeking help to retrieve relatives lured into scam compounds in Cambodia.

Transnational smuggling network

The case emerged from a broader police investigation into a transnational criminal ring that organised illegal crossings between Việt Nam and Cambodia from October 2024 until it was dismantled.

According to police, groups based in Cambodia recruited Vietnamese nationals with promises of "easy work, high pay," a phrase commonly associated with scam operations linked to online fraud syndicates across Southeast Asia.

Once individuals agreed, their personal information was passed to coordinators in Việt Nam, who arranged illegal transport from HCM City and neighbouring provinces to border areas in Tây Ninh Province.

Victims were then smuggled across the border via informal routes and delivered to compounds run by scam organisations in Cambodia, police said.

Authorities estimate the network facilitated the illegal departure of around 900 people from Việt Nam and the illegal re-entry of about 800 others, generating hundreds of millions of đồng in illicit profits.

Alleged role of Nguyễn Thanh Hải

While expanding the investigation, police said they uncovered a separate group led by Hải that allegedly exploited families desperate to retrieve relatives trapped in Cambodian scam centres.

Hải and his associates allegedly cultivated a public image as volunteer rescuers, operating multiple social media accounts with large followings and posting videos portraying “free rescues” with no financial demands.

In reality, police said, the group required payments from families before intervening and refused assistance if money was not provided.

Investigators allege the group inflated “ransom” amounts, demanded advance transfers through multiple intermediary accounts and pocketed the difference after paying Cambodian contacts to release the victims.

Those recovered were then smuggled back into Việt Nam through unofficial border crossings without valid travel documents, violating immigration laws, police said.

From 2023 until his arrest, Hải and his associates allegedly extorted 120 victims, stealing more than VNĐ16.7 billion (US$670,000). Police say Hải personally received more than VNĐ2.2 billion.

Wider crackdown

On October 30, 2025, HCM City police charged Hải, alleged smuggling ring leader Lê Văn Thành and nine others with offences including extortion, organising illegal border crossings and abusing democratic freedoms to infringe on state and individual interests.

In total, 41 suspects have been arrested in connection with the wider case on charges ranging from extortion and fraud to human trafficking and illegal migration.

Authorities said they have also rescued 38 victims from Cambodia and returned them to Việt Nam.

Vietnamese officials described the operation as part of a broader effort to combat organised crime linked to scam centres operating across the region, which have increasingly targeted vulnerable jobseekers and exploited social trust for profit. — VNS