HiAnime Operators Arrested in Massive Vietnam Piracy Bust

Vietnamese police just took down one of the largest anime piracy operations the internet has ever seen, charging seven suspects who allegedly earned $12.8 million running HiAnime and more than 100 other pirate sites.

The case landed with U.S. intelligence support, right after Washington called out Vietnam for weak anti-piracy enforcement. At its peak, HiAnime pulled more than 150 million monthly visits, making it one of the biggest piracy threats of the year before it quietly shut down in March.

The U.S. Trade Representative flagged the popular Anime site days before it vanished, then named Vietnam a “Priority Foreign Country” in May, opening the door to trade sanctions.

Details of the HiAnime Crackdown

Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security says its economic crime unit, C03, charged seven suspects with copyright infringement and money laundering tied to a network of over 100 sites.

Investigators named four ringleaders, Nguy?n ?ình Minh Khoa, Nguy?n Trung Anh, Nguy?n ?ình Xuân, and Nguy?n Hoàng Thanh, arrested and charged under Articles 225 and 324. Three others face copyright charges only.

The group ran from 2020 until April 2026, offering more than 26,000 unlicensed titles and earning roughly 308 billion Vietnamese ??ng, about $12.8 million, from advertising.

Reports never name a site, but state broadcaster VTV aired footage of HiAnime.to crossed out, with investigators filmed browsing the Wayback Machine straight to its archive.

Deputy Director Ph?m Tr??ng Giang of the economic crime police explained how these operators stay hidden, by stating that “The perpetrators keep changing domain names to conceal their operations.”

ACE and U.S. Homeland Security Cooperation

This was not a solo Vietnamese effort. C03 acted on intelligence from U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, the MPA’s anti-piracy arm.

ACE had hunted these operators for years. It is the same playbook that killed the Fmovies ring in 2024, and we flagged HiAnime early as a primary ACE target.

The suspects are young, some recent IT graduates. Khoa reportedly confessed on camera to earning around $2 million, spent on cars. Payments arrived in cryptocurrency, got laundered through intermediaries, then bought real estate and vehicles to legitimize the profits.

Final Thoughts from Troy

This is the biggest anime piracy takedown we’ve seen, but $12.8 million and seven arrests only matter if they lead somewhere.

When Vietnam prosecuted the Fmovies crew last year, both operators confessed to everything and still walked with suspended sentences, so forgive us for not celebrating until these four ringleaders actually serve time.

HiAnime already went dark back in March, and clones will fill the gap within weeks, the same endless game of whac-a-mole we watch after every takedown. If you want anime and live TV without the legal risks, stick with 100% verified live TV services and streaming apps.

For more details on this story, refer to the reports from Vietnamese media and TorrentFreak.

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