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Rape charge after allegation
Vietnam police charged a 23-year-old man with rape after Nguyen Thi Quynh Tam, 24, said she was assaulted in a hotel bedroom during a group holiday near Hanoi.
“Authorities in Vietnam have charged a man with rape after an American student said she was assaulted while in her bed”
Tam said she was raped on July 5 and that she was pressured by the man’s family to accept money and not go to police, while she also said police initially urged her to settle the matter privately.
The Associated Press reported that Tam’s account was documented in interviews, her police complaint and communications with U.S. and Vietnamese officials, and that officials confirmed Thursday they had charged the 23-year-old man.
Vietnam’s foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said authorities had initiated legal proceedings “in accordance with Vietnamese law,” and Tam told AP, “I’m doing this not just for me. But for everybody else that has been harmed.”
Pressure, reenactment, and gaps
Tam said that after she reported the incident to police on July 21, they took her back to the room where she said she was raped and asked her to reenact the assault, leaving her distraught.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Tam said the police also initially urged her to settle the matter privately, and that she said the man’s wealthy family and local police repeatedly urged her to accept money and avoid charges.
Tam described the psychological impact in a direct quote, saying, “A part of me is gone. And it’s in that room,” and the AP said she later messaged her boyfriend in the U.S. that she had been raped.
The Associated Press also reported that Tam said she got little help at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, where she was told she could report the matter to Vietnamese police, or return home, and that after her father contacted Sen. Ted Cruz, the embassy called her to apologize.
Location, case details, and response
Tuoi Tre News said police in Phu Tho Province charged a 23-year-old man from Hanoi for the alleged rape of a 24-year-old Vietnamese-American woman at apartment SK125 in the Lynn Times Thanh Thuy Hotel in Thanh Thuy Commune, Phu Tho Province, on July 5.
“at apartment SK125 in the Lynn Times Thanh Thuy Hotel in Thanh Thuy Commune, Phu Tho Province”
The Tuoi Tre report said the victim filed a criminal complaint on July 21 and that investigators launched inquiries despite the incident being reported more than 10 days after it occurred, interviewing the victim, witnesses, and Hieu.
Vietnam.vn reported that on August 19 the Fu Tho Provincial Police announced that the provincial police investigative agency issued a decision to open a criminal case and prosecute Nguyen Minh Huy on rape charges, and it quoted the police statement about ensuring the public understand the true nature of the case.
Vietnam.vn also included a company statement from Vu Kwong Group saying it confirmed online information was “completely false,” and it added that the company requested organizations, individuals, and websites to immediately remove all false content and photos.