Recently, the Thiên Địa obscene content distribution case was tried in court.
This case shocked the public due to its long existence and the large volume of obscene videos and images spread. In Vietnam, the operation was run by Nguyễn Đức Vinh (born 1975, residing in Vinh city, Nghệ An). Vinh is a social protection beneficiary due to severe physical disabilities.
A unique forum manager draws attention during the Thiên Địa trial
Defendant N.P.N. (born 2002, from Long An province) stood out as a unique figure. The student was arrested while attending a well-known university. He was the only student among those accused of managing and running the obscene forum with millions of members. Notably, N. never accepted any payment for his involvement.
The confession
N. first discovered and accessed the “Thiendia” website at age 18. He was interested in the “Doctor’s Clinic 2 Guns – sex doctor” section, frequently logging in to comment and offer advice on reproductive health and gender issues.
Around August 2021, Nguyễn Đức Vinh reached out and invited N. to join the “Thiendia” forum’s management team. N. was assigned to manage the “Doctor’s Clinic 2 Guns,” “Sex Stories – adult stories – xxx stories,” and “Lầu Xanh Sex Magazine” sections.
N. managed these sections to provide advice and answer questions related to reproductive health, gender health, and other medical issues for forum members. He also recruited contributors, wrote and posted obscene content in the forum’s sections, and warned or banned accounts that violated the rules. Despite handling many tasks, N. said he did it “out of passion” and repeatedly refused payment when offered.
N. was accused of helping Nguyễn Đức Vinh upload 9.8GB out of nearly 13GB of obscene content to the “Thiên Địa” forum.
Even more surprising, N.P.N. had earned multiple awards in provincial and national science and technology competitions. He received certificates of merit from his school, district leaders, provincial leaders, and the provincial youth union. He was also honored with the “Three-Good Student” title. When asked about his role managing the obscene forum, N. bowed his head and admitted his mistake.
The trial ended with N. receiving a suspended sentence of 21 months in prison, the lightest among the 11 defendants. The others were sentenced to 21 to 48 months in prison for distributing obscene materials.
Photo credits: Compilation
