In Hanoi, Vietnam, authorities have charged a man with rape after an American student reported being assaulted during a holiday with a group. Nguyen Thi Quynh Tam, 24, claimed she was raped on July 5 and faced pressure from the man’s family to accept money instead of going to the police. Initially, police also urged her to resolve the matter privately.
Tam’s decision to speak publicly about the assault is uncommon in Vietnam, where sexual violence often remains unspoken. She expressed her intention to protect other women by sharing her story. “I’m doing this not just for me, but for everybody else that has been harmed,” Tam stated. Her account is documented through interviews, her police complaint, and communications with U.S. and Vietnamese officials.
After seeking assistance from U.S. officials and a lawmaker, the authorities confirmed that formal charges had been filed against the 23-year-old man. Vietnam’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Pham Thu Hang, stated that legal proceedings were underway “in accordance with Vietnamese law.” The man charged did not respond to AP queries via social media.
Tam, whose family moved to the United States when she was five, returned to Vietnam in May for a banking internship and joined acquaintances on a trip to a resort in Phu Tho near Hanoi on July 4. Finding her intended room locked, Tam eventually fell asleep in another room but awoke to the man kissing her neck. Despite her protests, he persisted and raped her. She messaged her boyfriend in the U.S. about what had happened, and AP has verified these messages.
Members of the travel group informed Tam that the man belonged to a wealthy, politically-connected family, making her unsure of what to do. The man apologized twice afterward, first in a note and then during a phone call. AP has reviewed the note and call recording.
On July 11, Tam met the man’s father alongside family friends. The father suggested financial compensation instead of involving the police. He contacted her again five days later with the same offer. In an email to the Associated Press, he claimed the two had been intimate, denying any intent to pressure Tam to drop the case.
After reporting to police on July 21, Tam was taken back to the room where the assault occurred and asked to reenact the incident, leaving her distressed. “A part of me is gone. And it’s in that room,” she said. The next day, police pushed her to meet the man and sign a statement stating she had refused a rape kit and legal counsel, which she declined. They repeated their request while she was undergoing mental health treatment at a Hanoi hospital.
Based in Houston, Texas, Tam said she received limited assistance at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, facing a choice to report to Vietnamese police or return to the U.S. Discouraged, especially when told of a similar previous case that dragged over a year before being dismissed, Tam contacted her senator, Ted Cruz. The embassy later apologized and claimed to have supported Tam in contacting authorities, although her father disputed this in a communication on July 29.
The State Department acknowledged awareness of Tam’s case but couldn’t disclose details due to legal and privacy reasons, emphasizing that American safety and security remain a priority.
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