Vietnam Climate Defenders Coalition
This month, on 24 June 2026, Vietnamese environmental lawyer Dang Dinh Bach is due to
be released from prison, having served his five-year sentence in full. As that day draws near,
we look forward with hope to his safe release and the reunion that awaits him, with his wife,
Tran Phuong Thao, and with the young son he has not yet had the chance to know.
Bach was taken from his family in June 2021, when his son was just two weeks old. He was
imprisoned on charges of ‘tax evasion’ in a case that has prompted widespread concern a
protest from the international community. His long-anticipated release carries with it the
promise of a father returning home and a family made whole again.
Vietnam today finds itself at a turning point, with new leadership and a forward-looking
agenda. In a time of global uncertainty, Bach’s forthcoming release signifies a step toward
environmental progress, humanitarian values, and the ambitious climate and sustainable
development commitments that Vietnam has set before the world. This moment therefore
carries the prospect of renewal—for a family reunited, and for Vietnam’s path toward a just
and sustainable future.
Dang Dinh Bach has devoted more than two decades to protecting Vietnam’s communities,
its environment, and its people. His work helped shape the country’s Environmental
Protection Law, contributed to Vietnam’s landmark net-zero commitments, and helped lay the
groundwork for Vietnam’s US$15.5 billion Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and
pathway toward a just energy transition.
That work is not finished. The challenges of climate change, environmental protection, and
sustainable development are long-term and demanding endeavours, made more so in a time
of global upheaval and change. They are best served by people of Bach’s expertise, integrity,
and dedication working alongside government, not behind bars. His voice, his legal mind,
and his commitment to communities and the environment offer important contributions to
Vietnam’s continued progress.
We welcome Bach’s freedom and return to his family. We look forward to the restoration of
his health, and, in time and at his own pace, resumption of the work that has defined his life.
We welcome Bach home.
More information about Dang Dinh Bach is available at standwithbach.org
The Vietnam Climate Defenders Coalition is a group of international and regional environmental, climate justice, and human rights organizations concerned about threats to civic space and environmental defenders in Vietnam in the context of the energy transition.