Rape-accused musician has wrist slapped for traveling abroad without permission

According to Le Anh Tuan, director of the Vietnam National Academy of Music where Ho Hoai Anh teaches the traditional dan bau (Vietnamese stringed instrument), based on its regulations, the academy had decided to discipline the musician for having taken a break to go abroad without permission, and would consider further measures pending the Spanish court ruling.

Musician Ho Hoai Anh. Photo courtesy of Ho Hoai Anh’s facebook page

Tuan said since Ho Hoai Anh didn’t have too many classes, the academy didn’t take notice of its instructor travelling to Spain at the of June.

On June 25, police on Mallorca Island allegedly arrested the musician and another local celebrity, actor Hong Dang, based on allegations of rape made by a 17-year-old girl from the U.K.

According to the girl’s account, as reported by Spanish media, she made friends with the two men at a restaurant, and was later raped in one of the men’s rooms at Sant Elm Hotel.

On June 28, the two men were taken to court, then released on bail, but had their passports seized by Spanish authorities. The British girl also testified in court and was allowed to leave Mallorca the same day.

While Spanish police and media only gave broad information about the men’s identities, here in Vietnam, local audiences were taken by storm by the scandal and made an educated guess about who the alleged culprits were.

On July 5, in response to a whirlwind of public interest, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong, for all practical purposes, confirmed the men’s identities and whatever Vietnamese authorities knew about the on-going investigation.

Dong then said both celebrities had been released on bail, and the case had been taken up by lawyers. One month later, he revealed the artists had returned to Vietnam and didn’t face any formal charge at the moment.

According to music academy director Tuan, musician Ho Hoai Anh has written a report about the whole fiasco to his employer.

Between the two artists, Ho Hoai Anh is relatively better known among Vietnamese audiences for having composed many pop music hits. Born in 1979 into a family of musicians, he learned how to play the Vietnamese stringed instrument from his mother at a young age and first went abroad to perform at age 13.

Born in 1984, actor Hong Dang is known for his roles in numerous TV dramas.