HÀ NỘI — The Supreme People’s Procuracy has indicted five people for allegedly organising for Vietnamese nationals to illegally leave the country and stay in South Korea and the Republic of the Congo for work under the guise of visa-free tourism.

The defendants – Nguyễn Thị Mão, 51 (Nghệ An Province); Chế Thị Xuân, 41 (Hà Nội); Phạm Thị Nhung, 43 (Hải Phòng City); Hoàng Thị An, 34 (Tuyên Quang Province); and Vương Thị Huyền Trang, 38 (Hà Nội) – have all been charged with “organising for others to flee abroad” under Clause 3, Article 349 of the Penal Code.

The Supreme People’s Procuracy has assigned the Hà Nội People’s Procuracy to exercise prosecutorial authority and supervise the first-instance trial.

Of the five defendants, Nhung is currently wanted under a wanted-person decision issued by the Ministry of Public Security’s Security Investigation Agency on April 23, 2026. The other four are already in detention.

According to the indictment, between January 2024 and January 2025, Mão, who was not licensed to operate a business sending workers abroad, allegedly colluded with Xuân, Nhung, An and Trang to arrange for Vietnamese citizens to travel to Jeju Island in South Korea and the Republic of the Congo as tourists before remaining there illegally to work.

Mão allegedly negotiated directly with prospective workers and collected their money. She also received people referred by Trang and contacted An, Xuân and Nhung to arrange their departure and illegal stay abroad.

The indictment alleges that Mão organised five trips involving 18 people – seven people in four trips to South Korea and 11 people in one trip to the Republic of the Congo – earning nearly VNĐ700 million (nearly US$26,800) in illicit profits.

Xuân allegedly worked with Mão and Nhung to find contacts and arrange for 11 people to illegally travel to the Republic of the Congo for work. She allegedly earned VNĐ125 million ($4,800) from the scheme.

Nhung allegedly handled applications for tourist visas and purchased air tickets for the workers, while also assisting them with immigration procedures in the Republic of the Congo.

According to the court documents, Nhung received nine people after their arrival, arranged accommodation for them and helped them find jobs so they could remain in the country illegally. Together with Mão and Xuân, Nhung allegedly obtained more than VNĐ1.7 billion ($65,000) in illicit proceeds.

The Supreme People’s Procuracy has called on Nhung, who remains at large, to surrender to Vietnamese police or procuracy authorities so that she can benefit from the State’s leniency policy and exercise her right to legal defence as provided under Article 60 of the Criminal Procedure Code. — VNS