Ho Sy Quyet

Ho Sy Quyet is a tireless activist known for his popular education activities to promote human rights. He first became active in Vietnam's environmental movement in the 2010s. In 2015, he demonstrated against Hanoi’s plan to cut down thousands of trees, and in 2016, he protested the Formosa toxic waste spill and advocated for accountability from those responsible. At first, he thought only of the impacts of environmental degradation, but after talking with victims and studying Vietnam's constitution, he began to realize how the system had failed the communities affected by the disaster.

These experiences inspired him to take further action. He quit his job in 2016 and dedicated himself to human rights work. Around this time, he began to face police harassment for his activism, including being summoned multiple times for questioning and surveilled by his own neighbors.

Originally from Nghe An province, Quyet left to study human rights organizing abroad in 2017 and returned to Vietnam to apply his knowledge. In 2018, he became involved in the Save Tam Dao movement, which aimed to educate people about the importance of protecting of forests and inspire citizens to stand up to efforts by Vinh Phuc Province and Sun Group to build a resort in the national park.

At the same time that Quyet became further involved in civil society projects, the Vietnamese police had begun to systematically dismantle independent groups by harassing and jailing their members. In 2020, Quyet was targeted in the crackdown on the Liberal Publishing house, an independent publisher lead by the prolific writer Pham Doan Trang.

On January 3, 2020, police detained Quyet and his wife, Tran Ngoc Tram, for several hours and interrogated them about buying books from the publishing house. Plainclothes officers had burst into their home and searched it without presenting a warrant. They also confiscated Quyet's laptop, camera, mobile phones, and several of the family's identification documents. Read about the ordeal in Quyet's own words, here. (English translation).

After this incident, Quyet continued his activism but with a lower profile. He was forced to self-censor publicly while privately supporting civil society groups.

On August 28, 2025, Quyet’s wife, Tran Ngoc Tram, reported to Project88 that Quyet was detained in Ho Chi Minh city after traveling there for work a few days prior.  On September 1, she informed Project88 that the police station at 258 Nguyen Trai street, Cau Ong Lanh ward, Ho Chi Minh city–which is the representative office of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) in Ho Chi Minh city, confirmed they were detaining Quyet at the request of the MPS. The police have provided no additional details and have denied Tram’s request to visit her husband. On September 4, police searched Quyet's home and confiscated several electronics and documents.

On September 19, Tram learned that Quyet is being charged for "spreading propaganda against the state". Project88 has since learned that Quyet is also being investigated for engaging in "activities against the people's government" under Article 109 (also of the 2015 criminal code). Both charges fall under the national security chapter of Vietnam's Criminal Code.

On October 10, Quyet's wife, Tran Ngoc Tram, told Project88 that she was informed of the second charges in a notice from the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), forwarded to her by Quyet's lawyers. Charges under Article 117 carry a maximum sentence of 20 years' imprisonment, while Article 109 (enacted in 2015 and amended in 2025) carries the possibility of life imprisonment (replacing the previous possibility of a death sentence). The notice from MPS also reported that the lawyers' application to serve as his legal representatives has not yet been approved due to the ongoing investigation and "national security" concerns in his case.

Read more about Quyet's detention in the tab below.