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An Australian democracy campaigner and his Vietnamese-Norwegian colleague were abducted in Cambodia and forcibly taken to Vietnam, the pro-democracy group Viet Tan says, as families appeal to the UN.
Vietnamese authorities abducted an Australian activist and his Vietnamese-Norwegian colleague in Cambodia and forcibly took them across the border into Vietnam, according to the pro-democracy group Viet Tan.
The men have not been heard from since the morning of September 18. Tran Hiep, 50, a Melbourne democracy campaigner, and Nguyen Duc Thuan, 52, travelled to Phnom Penh from Bangkok on September 15. They had been in regular contact with their families until September 18, when they went silent. Hiep founded the Australian Alliance to Combat Human Trafficking.
Both men are members of Viet Tan, a pro-democracy diaspora political party that the Vietnamese government considers a terrorist organisation. They were in Cambodia to meet dissident Vietnamese activists for training. Hiep was due to meet his wife, Chloe Dang, in Bangkok after the Cambodia trip. Dang was waiting at Bangkok airport when the pair failed to appear, and was told her husband had never boarded the flight.
She has since lodged a missing person report in Cambodia. Overnight, Vietnamese state media reported the men had been detained, according to Viet Tan. The group rejects that account, saying the men had no intention of entering Vietnam. It says they were abducted in Cambodia and then forcibly taken across the border.
Viet Tan Condemns Transnational Repression Claims
In a statement, Viet Tan called the claim a blatant fabrication intended to cover up an abduction that violated Cambodia's sovereignty and international law. The group said the detention claim was meant to conceal an act of transnational repression. Viet Tan is particularly concerned that To Lam's police state is using its security apparatus to pursue and repress activists and foreign nationals even beyond Vietnam's borders, the group said.
It called on the Australian and Norwegian governments to urgently request direct access to the men to confirm their condition and safety. Viet Tan said Nguyen is diabetic and requires daily insulin injections. He must be guaranteed full access to medication and medical care, the group said. It also urged both governments and international human rights organisations to pressure Vietnam for the men's immediate and unconditional release.
Wife Chloe Dang Demands Australian Government Action
Dang, 36, said she feared for her husband's life. My family and I are really worried about his safety, and we just only want to know where he is and what happened to him, she told AAP from Bangkok airport before boarding a flight to Melbourne. My husband deserves protection, and I really hope the Australian government will continue to put pressure on Cambodia to do an investigation to find out where he is right now, she said.
Dang said it had been 11 days and she was really in the dark. I do not know where he is and how he is doing. It is driving me crazy. Everything is really uncertain, she said, choking back tears.
She said the couple had travelled to Thailand for a holiday before her husband made a side trip to Cambodia. She described her husband as a passionate human rights activist and said she feared the men were targeted or kidnapped because of their advocacy. He always knew there was a risk doing human rights work, but we never thought that this would happen, she said.
Our last conversation was him checking in on me in Bangkok, making sure I was safe and OK. He always checks in with me. Dang said she had been liaising with Australian consular officials but was worried not enough was being done. I send DFAT emails every day and ask for details, but I have not heard anything since he disappeared, she said.
DFAT Provides Consular Assistance to Missing Activists Families
A DFAT spokesperson said the department was providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian reported missing in Cambodia, but could not comment further due to privacy obligations. The families of the missing men have filed an appeal with the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. Phong Nguyen, who represents Viet Tan in Australia, said Hiep was a long-time advocate who trained activists in digital security.
He previously worked in IT for a large bank and for Telstra, but had left to focus on human rights work. Nguyen said the men had been supporting human rights activists for more than 20 years and were meeting activists who were not Viet Tan members. What is concerning is that this is not a normal tourist disappearing while travelling, Nguyen said. He said Thuan and Tran understood the dangers of their work, which made their silence even more alarming.
Rights Groups Highlight Risk of Long Prison Sentences
Their disappearance is not an ordinary missing person incident, Viet Tan said, noting that both men are long-time human rights advocates and Viet Tan members. Rights groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented the jailing of Vietnamese citizens for online posts and activism. Nguyen said sentences of 15 or 20 years were not unusual, and that ordinary people were at risk, not only high-profile figures.
He pointed to a rise in transnational repression, where governments target critics abroad, claiming there had been a significant increase in the past year in overseas Vietnamese nationals being captured, kidnapped and sentenced. Nguyen pointed to Australian citizen Chau Van Kham, a Viet Tan member who spent four and a half years in prison in Vietnam after his arrest in 2019.
Vietnam has ramped up its crackdown on dissidents in recent years, with more than 55 activists arrested under broad criminal laws in 2025. Civil society groups and United Nations human rights experts have repeatedly warned of growing cooperation between Vietnamese authorities and neighbouring governments targeting advocates. AAP has contacted Vietnamese authorities for comment.
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theage:Australian activist ‘abducted’ in Cambodia by Vietnamese government, rights group claims 
brisbanetimes:Australian activist ‘abducted’ in Cambodia by Vietnamese government, rights group claimsThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
DFAT Hiep Tran Mising In Cambodia Nguyen Duc Thuan Missing In Cambodia Human Rights Advocates Cambodia Police Vietnamese Government Viet Tan Chloe Dang Tran Hiep Nguyen Duc Thuan Cambodia Vietnam Transnational Repression Cambodia Abduction Transnational Repression
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