A horror video known as the 'Vietnamese Butcher' recently leaked from the dark web and quickly spread across mainstream social platforms. The footage contains graphic scenes of beheading, dismemberment, and cooking of the body, shocking netizens worldwide and causing strong discomfort.
However, Vietnamese police did not take action for some time. It was only after netizens compiled and submitted an investigative report to authorities at the end of November that the suspect was arrested in recent days. Even more shocking, the person involved turned out to be a public official—57-year-old Doan Van Sinh, the deputy team leader of Market Management Team 4 in Lang Son Province.
Case Traces Back to 2020
According to various foreign media reports, the case dates back to 2020. Doan Van Sinh met the victim, Nguyen Xuan Dat, through social media, and the two had long discussed macabre and extreme topics. On January 25 this year, he lured the victim to his office, allegedly killed him, filmed the entire process, and sold the video on the dark web.
The video content is extremely graphic, including beheading, dismemberment, and cooking of the remains. Even more horrifying, these acts are reportedly the victim’s own fantasies and "wishes" expressed while alive. After committing the crime, Doan Van Sinh returned to work as usual, showing no abnormality in his social media activities. In the following days, nearby residents reported a strange odor but were unable to locate its source.
Video Leak Sparks Netizens’ Independent Investigation
It was not until July this year, when the related footage went viral on the dark web and entered mainstream platforms, that the incident came to light. However, police did not release updates on the investigation, drawing public dissatisfaction.
A large number of netizens then spontaneously took on the role of “internet detectives,” and by the end of November had compiled a detailed investigation report, identifying Doan Van Sinh as the suspect and deducing the likely crime scene.
On November 29, Nguyen Xuan Dat’s mother also confirmed that her son had been missing for ten years since the passing of his father. Police, after receiving the report, immediately went to the concerned location to conduct an investigation and announced the official opening of the case.
On December 3, Lang Son provincial police issued a statement confirming that Doan Van Sinh had been detained on charges of murder, and called on the public to cease sharing related violent videos, vowing strict legal punishment for violators.