Since 2023, activist and well-known noodle seller Bùi Tuấn Lâm, also known as «Green Onion Bae», has been imprisoned in Xuân Lộc prison in Đồng Nai province for his videos on social media about social issues and human rights concerns. Since April 2025, he has subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment with no access to clean water, electricity or light. His eyesight is deteriorating as a result of being held in a dark cell. There are grave concerns that, without improvement in prison conditions, his health and well-being could further deteriorate. Bùi Tuấn Lâm, detained solely for exercising his freedom of expression, must be immediately and unconditionally released.
Bùi Tuấn Lâm, also known as Peter Lam Bui or Geen Onion Bae (Vietnamese Thánh Rắc Hành), has been an activist and human rights defender since 2013. He actively volunteered with the catholic community in Viet Nam, established relief funds for victims of injustice and took part in many protests for territorial sovereignty, environmental issues and human rights promotion. Lam used to share his opinion and videos on social media about social issues and human rights concerns.
Over the ten years that they were activists, Lâm and his wife have faced intense harassment and surveillance from local authorities. Lam was summoned and harassed by the police several times for his peaceful activism.
In November 2021, Bùi Tuấn Lâm was summoned by the Da Nang city police after a video of his went viral on Facebook. In the video, Lam served streetside noodles using the same gestures as famed Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe, known as Salt Bae, after a video of Viet Nam’s Minister of Public Security Tô Lâm eating at Salt Bae’s expensive London restaurant sparked outrage back home.
The satirical video led many to refer to Bùi Tuấn Lâm as «Green Onion Bae». Bùi Tuấn Lâm’s Facebook and YouTube channel has more than 12,000 followers, where he shared his opinions on human rights and social issues, often in a humorous vein.
On 7 September 2022, he was arrested under Article 117 of the 2015 Criminal Code, which punishes the dissemination of «propaganda against the state» and is routinely used against human rights defenders. It carries a prison term of up to 12 years. On 6 April 2023, his wife Lê Thanh Lâm, received a notice from authorities that their investigation of Bùi Tuấn Lâm had concluded. He was sentenced to five years and six months in prison. According to the family, the charges are based on dozens of Facebook and YouTube videos by Bùi Tuấn Lâm.
In 2023, Amnesty International condemned the arbitrary arrest and unfair trials of Bùi Tuấn Lâm.
Take action
Write an appeal in your own words or use the model letter below. You find a ready-to-print model letter under
→ AKTUELLE DOKUMENTE
→ Addresses see above in ADRESSEN
Please also take action on Social Media (guide see above).
→ SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDE
→ Please take action before 10 June 2026.
→ Preferred language: English, Vietnamese. You can also write in your own language.
