A noodle vendor in Vietnam famous for imitating celebrity chef “Salt Bae” to allegedly mock a top government official was sentenced to five-and-a-half-years in prison on Thursday, police said, after a court found him guilty of anti-state propaganda.
The conviction is the latest in what rights groups say is the government's wide-ranging attempt to silence voices critical of the governing Vietnamese Communist Party.
A video of Bui Tuan Lam, 39, went viral in November 2021 when it was posted days after a top Vietnamese official was caught on camera eating gold-encrusted steak at the London restaurant of the Turkish chef whose real name is Nusret Gökçe.
Lam, who described himself in a Facebook post uploaded with the video as “Green Onion Bae”, was arrested late last year. On Thursday he was convicted of “making, storing, distributing or disseminating information, documents and items against the state”, the Danang police department said after a one-day trial.
SUPPORT "GREEN ONION BAE" FROM VIETNAMThis noodle seller was summoned by police after going viral in Viet Nam for a parody video of renowned London-based chef "Salt Bae". The video appeared several days after Vietnamese netizens questioned an expensive meal enjoyed by a top Vietnamese official at the restaurant in London. In Viet Nam, even parody is watched closely. Share this video to support freedom of expression and "Green Onion Bae". #FreedomofExpression #Vietnam
Posted by Amnesty International on Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Besides running a beef noodle stall in the city, Lam publicly advocated for democracy in Vietnam and participated in many anti-China and pro-environment protests.
The Danang police also cited Lam's indictment as saying he posted 19 articles and 25 videos on social media to “distort and smear the state”.
Lam's lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.
Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson called on the Vietnamese government to stop prosecuting Lam and others for criticising the Vietnamese Communist Party.
“The list of posts and videos listed as 'evidence' of Bui Tuan Lam's 'crimes' shows the extreme lengths to which the Vietnamese go to block any sort of online criticism of the government,” Robertson said.
“For the Vietnamese leadership, even songs are a threat to their monopoly of power,” he added.
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