Vietnam’s Piracy Crackdown: 14 Sentenced in Football Streaming Bust

The Scale of the Bún Chả TV Operation

Bún Chả TV was far from a small-time operation. Investigators described the platform as a highly structured “underground company” equipped with dedicated departments for programming, commentary, SEO, and accounting. The network illegally broadcasted high-profile events, including the Premier League and Champions League, complete with local Vietnamese commentary.

• Daily Traffic: Hundreds of thousands of daily visits.
• Content Stolen: Over 150,000 live sports matches streamed.
• Illegal Profits: Estimated at over 20 billion dong (roughly $760,000).
• Revenue Model: Generated primarily through on-site advertising and aggressively funneling viewers to illegal gambling websites.

The Verdict: Who Went to Jail?

Following coordinated police raids that seized 38 computers and 42 phones, the Bac Ninh court convicted all 14 defendants under Article 225 of Vietnam’s Penal Code for infringing on copyright and related rights. The defendants, who all admitted to the charges and cooperated with authorities, received sentences ranging from 8 to 12 months. Notably, three commentators were handed 10-month suspended sentences, allowing them to escape prison.

The Missing Mastermind

Despite the successful convictions, the reported orchestrator of Bún Chả TV was conspicuously absent from the trial. According to the indictment, a man named Bùi Bá Hiến, manager of a company called S24, directed the entire operation, instructing employees and hiring collaborators.

Intriguingly, Bac Ninh police previously issued a wanted notice for a man with the exact same name—Bùi Bá Hiến, CEO of the esports organization Box Vietnam—who fled just two days before the coordinated police raids on Bún Chả TV. While authorities have not officially confirmed they are the same person, the connection remains a focal point of the ongoing investigation.

International Pressure Yields Results

These prison sentences arrive amidst heavy international scrutiny. In May, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) initiated a Section 301 investigation into Vietnam, citing a historical lack of deterrents in the nation’s piracy prosecutions, which frequently ended in nominal fines or suspended sentences.

Industry watchdogs are hailing the Bac Ninh court’s decision as a victory. The law firm Rouse, representing the Motion Picture Association in Vietnam, noted that the ruling demonstrates a “shift in enforcement strategy by Vietnamese authorities, who are increasingly moving past preliminary domain blocking to deliver criminal convictions.”

With the USTR’s Section 301 determination deadline approaching on November 29, the critical question remains: Will these 8-to-12-month sentences be enough to convince Washington that Vietnam is finally taking commercial piracy seriously?