Vietnam Indicts Seven Operators of Anime Piracy Giant HiAnime

Vietnamese prosecutors have indicted seven individuals connected to the illicit streaming network HiAnime, sending the operators of one of the world's largest anime piracy operations to trial in Hanoi. The formal charges follow an investigation into an enterprise that generated $12.85 million in illegal advertising revenue, according to reporting from TorrentFreak.

The indictment from Vietnam's Supreme People's Procuracy targets alleged ringleader Nguyễn Đình Minh Khoa alongside six co-defendants. Khoa, Nguyễn Trung Anh, Nguyễn Hoàng Thanh, and Nguyễn Đình Xuân face dual charges of criminal copyright infringement and money laundering before the Hanoi People's Court, while three other associates face copyright infringement charges.

## MPA Enforcement and Government Crackdown

The legal action stems from an enforcement filing initiated on May 7 by Rouse, the law firm representing the Motion Picture Association in Vietnam. The complaint was lodged with the Ministry of Public Security on the opening day of a nationwide intellectual property crackdown triggered by an urgent order from Vietnam's Prime Minister.

Investigators traced the enterprise back to early 2019, when Khoa allegedly launched a strategy to dominate illicit digital streaming with an interface designed to mimic legitimate subscription platforms. To maximize search traffic and retain users across multiple rebrands, the network acquired more than 100 domain names.

Before its sudden shutdown in March, the platform operated under several prominent banners, including Zoro.to and Aniwatch, before consolidating as HiAnime. At its operational peak, the network generated more than 150 million monthly visits, making it one of the largest unlicensed streaming ecosystems in the world.

For studio executives and international distributors, the prosecution reflects an evolving shift in Southeast Asian copyright enforcement. Hollywood Tomorrow notes that while Vietnam has long served as a major technical hub for global piracy infrastructure, persistent pressure from rights coalitions is increasingly converting domain-level whack-a-mole into criminal asset seizures and courtroom trials.