Your Excellency Mr. Hong Thach Nguyen,

We, the undersigned environmental protection professionals and concerned citizens of Ukraine, humbly approach you with a sincere request for your invaluable assistance in securing the release of our esteemed friend and colleague, Hoang Thi Minh Hong, who was apprehended by the police in Ho Chi Minh City on the 31st of May.

Hoang Thi Minh Hong is an eminent environmental leader who wholeheartedly dedicates herself to the noble cause of safeguarding nature and humanity, with a particular focus on addressing the pressing issue of climate change. She is widely recognized as an environmental educator, the first Vietnamese individual to visit Antarctica, one of the pioneering scholars of the esteemed Obama Foundation, and the former CEO of Change VN, an esteemed non-governmental organization committed to environmental protection.

In addition to her professional endeavors, she is known for her compassionate nature as a devoted mother, loyal friend, and exemplary citizen and youth leader. We hold utmost respect for Hoang Thi Minh Hong, acknowledging her exceptional moral compass and unwavering commitment to her profession.

We have been deeply disconcerted to learn of Hoang Thi Minh Hong's detainment by the authorities last week, subject to a temporary order on charges of tax evasion. Regrettably, this troubling incident follows a distressing pattern wherein she is the fifth prominent environmental activist to be arrested in Vietnam on alleged tax evasion charges within the past two years. Various official communications from esteemed organizations, including the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner and the United States State Department, along with other international bodies, have expressed their concerns regarding her arrest and have earnestly appealed for her prompt release.

This detention has unfolded at a time when Vietnam has publicly proclaimed its unwavering commitment to effectuate a just and sustainable energy transition to combat global climate change, as exemplified through the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). In order to realize this objective, it is vital that citizens and environmental organizations are afforded the freedom and opportunity to actively participate in shaping climate and environmental policies.

We kindly implore you to employ your esteemed position to facilitate the release of Hoang Thi Minh Hong from her detainment and to have all charges against her cleared. Furthermore, we humbly request your support in securing the release of other esteemed environmental leaders, namely Mai Phan Loi, Dang Dinh Bach, Bach Hung Duong, and Nguy Thi Khanh.

In our collective pursuit to safeguard the global environment and uphold the well-being of our cherished friends and colleagues, we earnestly appeal for your assistance. While Ukraine grapples with the ongoing Russian war and the resultant environmental and social crises, we rely upon your invaluable support.

With utmost respect and gratitude:

Olga Polunina, Executive Director, NGO Ecoaction

Anastasiia Martynenko, Head of NGO Zero Waste Society

Stepan Kushnir, Head of NGO "Khmelnytskyi energy cluster"

Yevheniia Mykytianska, Executive Director, NGO UEC "Green Wave"

Andriy Martynyuk, Executive Director, NGO Ecoclub

Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Executive Director, Razom We Stand

Oleksii Vasyliuk, Head of the Board, Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group

Maksym Babaiev, Coordinator, Ukrainian Climate Network

12th of June 2023
Kyiv, Ukraine