This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
A soldier stationed in Vietnam’s Bac Giang province has died after telephoning his family to say he’d been beaten by his commander, his cousin told Radio Free Asia.
The death is the latest of a series of suspicious deaths in army units where the “hazing” of soldiers has become common. At least four soldiers have died since 2021 with bruising and broken bones, while the military has offered other explanations for their deaths.
On Monday, military and local authorities called to say Nguyen Van Nghiep, 25, who joined the army last year, had died the previous day due to an “epidemic,” according to his cousin, who didn’t want to be named because of the sensitive nature of the subject.
Authorities said his body had been taken to a military hospital in Hanoi.
A video posted on social media shows distraught family members visiting their People’s Committee headquarters in Bac Ninh province. A woman who said she was the boy’s aunt was heard saying that Nghiep had been “beaten to death” and demanded justice. The woman said Nghiep called his family many times telling them his unit commander had beaten him. He last called them on Saturday night.
In another video posted online and seen by RFA, family members can be seen visiting the military hospital where Nghiep’s body was being kept. Guards warn them they are not allowed to film.
Both videos have since been removed from the original Facebook account but can be seen elsewhere on the social media site. State media have not reported on the soldier’s death.
Hanoi’s military Hospital 108 issued a report, dated Feb. 10 and titled “Report and implementation of measures to prevent and control meningococcal disease,” in which a doctor for Nghiep’s regiment was quoted as saying he reported a stomachache and fever on Sunday morning.
It said he was transferred to the regiment’s infirmary with a high fever, vomiting yellow fluid and complaining of abdominal pain.
The hospital report was posted on social media on Monday but has not been independently verified by RFA.
According to the report, at 8:45 p.m. on Sunday, Nghiep had difficulty breathing and was lethargic, then developed a rash. He was transferred to the division infirmary and then sent to the leading hospital in the military region, where he was diagnosed with Lyell’s Syndrome. Finally, he was taken to Hospital 108 in Hanoi.
Doctors there said he suffered cardiac arrest due to meningitis and died after emergency treatment.
RFA called the hospital but the phone did not connect. A reporter also called the mobile phone numbers of the leaders of the Bac Giang Provincial Military Command but no one answered. Emails to the ministry of defense went unanswered.
Meningococcal meningitis is an acute respiratory infectious disease. If detected early and treated, nine out of 10 patients survive. RFA has been unable to discover whether other soldiers in Nghiep’s unit contracted meningitis or find out how he was infected.
In July, 2023, Nguyen Van Hao, an artilleryman stationed in Hanoi died. His family said the autopsy showed he had two broken ribs.
In 2022, Ly Van Phuong, from an army officer training school was found dead near a lake while in 2021, solider Tran Duc Do died of “suicide” according to the army. His family said he had been beaten to death.
Also in 2021, Private Nguyen Van Thien died a month before he was due to reach the end of his military service. The army said he died from a fall but later admitted he had been killed by five soldiers from his unit. They were sentenced to a total of 41 years in prison.
