Former Box Vietnam CEO Bui Ba Hien has been placed on a wanted list after being charged, joining other once-prominent business figures sought by Vietnamese authorities.

Former Box Vietnam CEO wanted

Bac Ninh provincial police said on September 16 that their Investigation Police Agency had issued a wanted notice for Bui Ba Hien, born in 1990 and former CEO of Box Vietnam JSC.

Hien has been charged with infringement of copyright and related rights under Clause 2, Article 225 of Vietnam’s Penal Code. Police said he had fled his place of residence.

Hien was previously CEO of Box Vietnam, a company founded in 2018 and active in marketing, communications, digital content and esports through businesses including Box Studio, Box Sports and GG Live.

According to company information, Box Studio operates a multichannel network of more than 500 influencers, streamers and esports commentators. Box Sports produces sports content, manages professional esports teams and handles broadcasting rights for tournaments.

In a 2021 interview, Hien discussed plans to expand Box Vietnam beyond esports team management into streaming, influencer management, broadcasting rights and entertainment technology projects related to gaming. He also said the company was raising capital for several projects.

Hien is among several former business leaders who have become wanted suspects after being charged.

Cong Minh Green Trees chairman faces prosecution in absentia

Nguyen Cong Minh, born in 1972 and chairman of Cong Minh Green Trees Corporation, is the subject of a special wanted notice in a case involving the company and several provinces and cities. As of September 2026, investigators said he remained wanted.

Investigators previously determined that Cong Minh Green Trees had established more than 40 subsidiaries under a parent-subsidiary structure, with each operating as a separate legal entity.

On September 4, 2026, the Ministry of Public Security’s Security Investigation Agency completed a supplementary investigation into alleged violations of bidding regulations causing serious consequences, as well as alleged bribery, involving Cong Minh Green Trees and several localities. Investigators also recommended that Minh be prosecuted in absentia.

Cong Minh Green Trees had participated in and won hundreds of contracts for tree planting, maintenance and urban landscaping.

The Ministry of Public Security previously said Minh had fled on June 4, 2023. Authorities subsequently initiated procedures for an international wanted notice.

Nhat Cuong owner internationally wanted

In May 2019, the Ministry of Public Security’s Investigation Police Agency issued a wanted notice for Bui Quang Huy, general director of Nhat Cuong Trading and Technical Services Co. Ltd., after he fled.

Bui Quang Huy, former general director of Nhat Cuong Trading and Technical Services Co. Ltd.

Huy had been charged with smuggling and violations of accounting regulations causing serious consequences.

As the investigation expanded, authorities brought an additional money-laundering charge against Huy on July 9, 2019.

Vietnamese authorities issued a nationwide wanted notice and requested international assistance through Interpol.

Nhat Cuong Mobile was once a major retailer of mobile phones and technology products, operating nine stores in Hanoi. The company also expanded into software through Nhat Cuong Software.

Lawyer: Wanted suspects can still face prosecution

Nguyen Thanh Hai, director of An Hoang Gia Law Firm and a member of the Hanoi Bar Association, said a suspect fleeing and becoming wanted does not necessarily mean criminal proceedings must stop until that person is arrested.

Hai said Vietnam’s Criminal Procedure Code, as amended in 2025, allows investigators to recommend prosecution and prosecutors to proceed in certain circumstances when sufficient grounds exist and the right to legal representation is protected.

These include cases in which suspects have fled or their whereabouts are unknown and efforts to locate them have failed, or when suspects are abroad and cannot be summoned for proceedings.

At the trial stage, the Criminal Procedure Code also allows courts to conduct trials in absentia when defendants have fled and efforts to locate them have been unsuccessful, or when they are abroad and cannot be summoned.

Hai stressed that being wanted does not automatically justify resolving a case in absentia. Case files must contain sufficient evidence to establish the relevant facts and provide grounds for the proceedings.

Wanted suspects retain the right to legal representation. Under a 2025 inter-agency circular, authorities must notify their representatives or relatives of their right to engage defence counsel. Where no lawyer is appointed, the authorities must assign one as required by law.

In cases involving multiple suspects, one person fleeing does not necessarily halt proceedings against the others.

Surrender does not automatically mean a lighter sentence

Hai said Vietnamese law distinguishes between voluntarily confessing before an offence or offender is discovered and surrendering after the offender has already been identified.

A person who has been charged and placed on a wanted list but later voluntarily reports to authorities is considered to have surrendered. Someone arrested under a wanted notice and who then admits the offence does not qualify as having surrendered voluntarily.

Hai said a voluntary confession before discovery is specifically recognised as a mitigating circumstance under the Penal Code, while surrender after discovery may be considered by a court as a mitigating factor.

“Surrender does not automatically result in a reduced sentence, nor is there a fixed reduction applicable in every case,” Hai said.

Other factors, including truthful cooperation, remorse, voluntary compensation, efforts to remedy consequences or active cooperation with authorities, may also be considered mitigating circumstances when the relevant legal requirements are met.

If a wanted person has already been tried in absentia, surrendering does not automatically overturn the judgment or trigger a new trial. Appeals, enforcement or review of the judgment must follow the applicable legal procedures.

Duc Phong