Vietnam repatriates 65 citizens rescued from online scam compounds in Cambodia

The handover, coordinated with Cambodian authorities, included health checks, identity verification, and initial interviews before the group was transferred to police departments in their respective provinces for further investigation.

Most of the returnees said they had been deceived by false job offers promising 'high-paying, easy work' and were instead forced to participate in online fraud schemes under armed supervision.

Several reported being held at gunpoint and made to operate scam systems upon arrival in Cambodia.

The Vietnamese Consulate General in Battambang confirmed that 64 of the victims had escaped from a scam compound in Banteay Meanchey Province, while one was detained for illegal residency in Oddar Meanchey.

The group includes 57 men and 8 women, aged 18 to 40, from 24 provinces and cities, including nine from Ho Chi Minh City, six from Hanoi, and four each from Bac Ninh and Vinh Long.

During interviews, one returnee, Vo Anh Hao, 20, from Tan Khai Commune in Dong Nai, accused another Vietnamese man, N.V.T., 38, from the same commune, of trafficking workers to Cambodia for illegal online operations.

The consulate has requested an official investigation by Dong Nai police. 

 Major Nguyen Duc Hung, head of the Hoa Lu Border Guard Station, said authorities carefully cross-checked identities and screened the group for criminal records before repatriation.

One individual wanted by police in Hai Phong City was handed over to local investigators.

Border forces continue to tighten patrols and monitor crossings to prevent similar cases, while working with local authorities to raise awareness about human trafficking and illegal migration.

This marks the second time in 2025 that the Dong Nai border guard forces have repatriated Vietnamese nationals linked to online scams in Cambodia.

Earlier this year, 85 citizens were returned through the same border gate after being detained in Kratie Province during Cambodia's crackdown on cross-border cybercrime.