Le Chi Thanh
Lê Chí Thành
Current Status: Pre-trial detention
Date of Birth: July 20, 1983
Gender: M
Ethnicity: Kinh
Occupation: Public institutions employee, Blogger
Human Rights Defender: Y
Known Prison(s):
Chau Binh prison, Ben Tre province (January 14, 2022 - June 14, 2025)
Activist Focus:
- Anti-corruption
- Police Brutality
Details
Project88 received credible reports that former police officer Le Chi Thanh was arrested in Bangkok on March 6. Thanh fled to Bangkok after his June 2025 release from prison. Sources report Thanh was living and working legally in Thailand, but Vietnam recently cancelled his passport without notice. Project88 is working to verify this developing story.
Extradition to Vietnam is a serious threat for Le Chi Thanh. Following the Nov. 2025 extradition of Ede activist Y Quynh Bdap from Thailand, Vietnam has been ramping up its transnational repression campaign. This includes the in-absentia convictions of the founders of the Germany-based news site, Thoibao.de. An official from the Vietnamese embassy also threatened a fellow activist, Nguyen Van An, at Bangkok's Immigration Detention Center on Dec. 3, explicitly citing the Bdap case as precedent if he refused to return voluntarily.
A former captain at Thu Duc Prison, Le Chi Thanh was dismissed in 2020 for unspecified reasons. He used his insider knowledge to build a large YouTube following by exposing police and prison guard corruption. After self-nominating for the National Assembly in 2021, he was arrested and convicted on dubious charges of "abusing democratic freedoms" and "obstructing officials". While in prison, Thanh alleged he was tortured. Read more about the allegations in the following sections. On June 14, 2025, Le Chi Thanh was released 10 months early from prison after serving over four years behind bars.
History of Activism
Le Chi Thanh was a police captain and correctional officer at Camp Z30D in Thu Duc Prison from 2003–2020 but was dismissed in July 2020 for unspecified disciplinary reasons. He then became a prominent activist, using his insider knowledge to expose corruption within traffic police and prisons on his YouTube channel with over 175,000 subscribers. Thanh supported the work of other anti-corruption advocates and nominated himself for the National Assembly elections in 2021, just one month prior to his arrest.
In addition, often livestreamed his encounters with traffic officers in Ho Chi Minh City, a force that is notorious in the country for their corruption and bribery. Just weeks before his arrest, he got into a disagreement with local traffic police when they stopped and searched his car.
Before 2020, Thanh had been honored as a model police officer. His videos exposing corruption and abuse by police and prison guards have since been removed from YouTube.
Prior to arrest, Le Chi Thanh was living and working in Tan Hung Thuan, District 12, Ho Chi Minh City. Profile photo source.
Sentenced to 5 years in prison under Art. 331 (2015 Code), Art. 330 (2015 Code). Released June 14, 2025.
January 14, 2022 - Date of trial
Dang Dinh Man
5 years in prison
April 14, 2026
June 14, 2025
Details of Imprisonment
Le Chi Thanh was a former police officer who worked for Thu Duc Prison. According to the state media, he was removed from the forces due to disciplinary action in July 2020. However, the details of the removal have not been independently verified.
With his knowledge and insight of how the public security force works, Thanh was able to build a following on YouTube with over 175,000 subscribers. He usually posted videos exposing the corruption within the police force and supporting other officers who informed the public about police misconduct.
In the month before his arrest, in a video uploaded on March 9, 2021, Thanh said that he had successfully submitted his application to run as an independent candidate to the National Assembly elections.
Days later, Thanh had an altercation with traffic police in Thu Duc City. On March 20, 2021, police stopped and searched his car. They accused him of not having car registration papers and driving in the wrong lane. When they forcefully impounded his car, Thanh stayed in front of the car, recorded the process, and questioned their authority over the action. He did not resort to any kind of violence, as confirmed by the officers themselves. His charge then is odd, as Article 330 of the Criminal Code requires the allegation of the use of force against public officials in the course of conduct of their duties.
In one statement, the authorities alleged that, 'Thanh has provoked and defamed the public security forces of Ho Chi Minh City multiple times'. In several videos by Thanh prior to his arrest, he mentioned how he was being followed by strangers. According to some sources close to Thu Duc public security in the days after his arrest, Thanh was also facing a charge of "abusing democratic freeodms" Article 331. Read more about the judicial proceedings against Thanh in the following section.
In October 2021, Le Chi Thanh alleged to his family that he was severely tortured in prison. His mother reported to Project88 that her son had been beaten and hung by his arms and legs for seven days in a pit full of feces. Thanh himself repeated the allegation at his Jan. 2022 trial, as reported by his lawyer.
In Oct. 2023, asource with direct knowledge of the matter told Project88 that in January 2023, other prisoners at Chau Binh Prison in Ben Tre Province were allowed to throw away Thanh’s food to keep him hungry and to burn his clothes. The alleged goal was to provoke Thanh to retaliate so they could discipline him. Thanh filed a complaint, and prison officials reportedly promised that they would not continue with the abuse if he did not press charges. Thanh’s mother had been allowed one-hour monthly visits and said in Oct. 2023 that Thanh had regained some strength but was still very weak.
Resources
Youtuber Lê Chí Thành bị bắt, VNExpress, April 14, 2021
Công an TP.Thủ Đức bắt tạm giam Lê Chí Thành, Thanh Nien, April 15, 2021
Lý do Lê Chí Thành bị bắt tạm giam, Phap Luat, April 16, 2021
Tiếp tục điều tra Lê Chí Thành tội danh khác và có trục lợi hay không?, Thanh Nien, April 18, 2021
Khởi tố, bắt tạm giam Lê Chí Thành, Tuoi Tre, April 26, 2021
Cựu công an Lê Chí Thành nói "bị tra tấn dã man trong trại tạm giam”, RFA Vietnamese, October 29, 2021
Cựu đại úy công an bị phạt 2 năm tù vì ‘chống người thi hành công vụ’, VOA Vietnamese, January 14, 2022
Vietnam upholds former police officer’s 2-year sentence over traffic spat, Radio Free Asia, April 13, 2022
Former Police Captain Receives 3 Years In Prison Under Article 331, The Vietnamese, June 24, 2022
Cựu đại úy công an Lê Chí Thành lãnh 3 năm tù giam vì đăng thông tin xuyên tạc, Nguoi Lao Dong, June 22, 2022
Interviews with Le Chi Thanh's family
March 6, 2026: detained by Thai police
March 6, 2026
District
Bangkok