[[Hữu Lũng]] commune, [[Lạng Sơn]] province, [[Vietnam]]
[[Hữu Lũng]] commune, [[Lạng Sơn]] province, [[Vietnam]]
| date = January 25, 2025
| date = January 25, 2025
| image =
| image =
| caption = Nguyễn Xuân Đạt immediately before his decapitation.
| caption = Nguyễn Xuân Đạt immediately before his decapitation.
| type = [[Murder]], [[decapitation]], [[mutilation]], [[dismemberment]]
| type = [[Murder]], [[decapitation]], [[mutilation]], [[dismemberment]]
2025 murder case in Vietnam and snuff film
The murder of Nguyễn Xuân Đạt (Vietnamese: Vụ giết người Nguyễn Xuân Đạt), known internationally as The Vietnamese Butcher case, is a consensual murder and dismemberment case that occurred on January 25, 2025, in Lạng Sơn province, Vietnam.[3][1][4] The case gained traction on late July of the same year, when videos and images of the murder, later compiled into The Vietnamese Butcher, began circulating in shock sites, Telegram, and other encrypted messaging apps.[1][5][6]
The Vietnamese Butcher‘s videos are the first known commercially-intended recordings of a real murder, as they were sold on the dark web and Telegram groups at least since February 2025.[5][7]
Content
On July 26, 2025, 11 videos and 98 images of what is now referred to as “The Vietnamese Butcher” began circulating on Telegram and other encrypted messaging apps. It was eventually leaked to public knowledge through gore sites and other platforms with an extended version, bringing into the light what is described by Vice as the first authentic snuff film.[5]
The videos, recorded from multiple perspectives, show the scene of Đạt in a naked state, lying his head on a cutting board while masturbating on a bathroom floor. At the moment of Đạt’s orgasm, the assailant, later identified as Đoàn Văn Sáng, decapitated Đạt with a cleaver.[1][8] The proceeding images included Đạt’s dismemberment, the assailant holding Đạt’s decapitated head with a face mask on, and Đạt’s internal organs being either processed, or served in a stew with Chinese herbs,[8] indicating potential vorarephillia or cannibalism.
Prior to the murder, another longer video was recorded showing the “rehearsal” between Đạt and Sáng. In the video, Sáng is shown wearing Adidas clothing and a Guy Fawkes mask, placing his cleaver on Đạt’s neck, before later hugging Đạt.[5]
Investigations
Initial investigations
Before an official conclusion, many online Vietnamese investigators proceeded amateur OSINT and forensic investigations aimed to gain further information about the case. Regarding details in the original compilation, mainly through floor tiles and household items, they concluded that both the victim and assailant were Vietnamese, and the place of murder was either near the China–Vietnam border or the Cambodia–Vietnam border,[5] though the former is more strongly supported. Initial suspicions towards a Buddhist who was claimed to have interacted with the victim was rejected after the person denied involvement.[5]
The victim was identified as Nguyễn Xuân Đạt, born on January 10, 1989, in Đông Hưng, Thái Bình (now Tiên Hưng, Hưng Yên).[9] According to his family, Đạt’s mother had mental health problems, he was raised in Hanoi, and worked as a fishmonger at Phùng Khoang market.[8] Prior to his death, Đạt was an active member in gore sites, mainly Motherless and WatchPeopleDie,[10] with the alias “Dat Beheading”, and often expressed his wish to be decapitated.[5] Additionally, Đạt made a comment on a porn site requesting the Vietnamese translation of the ero guro manga “Applicant for Death” by Juan Gotoh that shared similarities with Đạt’s death, notably details related to guillotines, consensual homicide, and speaking decapitated heads.[5]
Đạt’s last appearance on Facebook was on January 25, 2025, with the post “3 hours until [the action’s] time” (Còn 3 giờ đến tới lúc thực hiện). After the murder, his Facebook account was taken control of (presumably by the assailant) and was locked down.[5]
On November 2025, an 88-page document about the case was published on Facebook, and had provided suspicions regarding the possibility of 57-year old Đoàn Văn Sáng, former Deputy Head of the Number 4 Market Surveillance Unit, being the assailant.[1] The document originated from the “OSINT & Cyber Investigation Việt Nam” Facebook group, and its contents are compiled based on the YouTube video “The case of Nguyễn Xuân Đạt” (Kỳ án Nguyễn Xuân Đạt) by “Kẻ Tò Mò”.[11] Sin Chew Daily reported that despite the compilation’s large spread from the dark web to mainstream social media platforms, the Vietnamese police did not take action until late November, after the release of the 88-page document.[12]
Sáng’s later arrest proved that the main details of the document were accurate.[11][12][6] Hong Kong’s HK01 reported that the original Facebook group did a “significant work” regarding the identification of the assailant and the murder site,[2] a claim further supported by BBC News Vietnamese.[6]
Official investigation
In an official notice from the Ministry of Public Security, the official investigation of the case began after their “observations of the online space”.[6][13]
On November 28, 2025, the Ministry of Public Security and the Lạng Sơn Provincial Police arrested Đoàn Văn Sáng on charges of the murder of Nguyễn Xuân Đạt. According to Sáng’s confessions, Sáng and Đạt first knew each other through social media in 2020. On January 25, 2025, after contacting via phone, Đạt entered Sáng’s workplace at the Headquarters of the Number 4 Market Surveillance Unit, which was vacant due to Lunar New Year celebrations, and was killed consequently.[13]
On December 10, 2025, the Ministry of Public Security recommended the Lạng Sơn Provincial Police to expand investigations and obtain further evidence.[14] As of December 13, the investigation is ongoing.
References
- ^ a b c d e Phạm Dự (December 3, 2025). “Đoàn Văn Sáng bị bắt vì giết người ở Lạng Sơn”. VnExpress (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on December 7, 2025. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ^ a b TVBS News (TVBS新聞網) (October 10, 2025). 「越南屠夫」斬首影片瘋傳 兇手落網 疑為滿足死者性幻想起殺機. HK01 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on October 12, 2025. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
- ^ Trần Cường (December 3, 2025). “Bộ Công an đề nghị không lan truyền video vụ án Đoàn Văn Sáng”. Báo Thanh Niên (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on December 7, 2025. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ^ Phạm Công; Bảo Khánh (December 3, 2025). “Giám đốc Công an Lạng Sơn thông tin vụ án Đoàn Văn Sáng giết người, phi tang”. VietNamNet (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on December 7, 2025. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Ditto, Ben (August 21, 2025). “A Vietnamese Murder Has Given the World Its First Real ‘Snuff’ Movie”. VICE. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ^ a b c d “Khởi tố Đoàn Văn Sáng về tội ‘giết người’ – vai trò của ‘thám tử mạng’“. BBC News Vietnamese (in Vietnamese). December 3, 2025. Archived from the original on December 5, 2025. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ^ Liao Jiajia (December 8, 2025). 恐怖越南屠夫遭捕竟是公務員 斬首烹屍疑「為滿足死者幻想」. TVBS News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
- ^ a b c “Vietnamese Butcher “deep web” decapitation – Naked man masturbating gets violently beheaded on bathroom floor, dismembered, and has his insides cooked (better quality, pics, more info, updates)”. Watchpeopledie. December 1, 2025. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
- ^ Khánh Linh (December 3, 2025). “Sẽ mở rộng điều tra vụ án giết người phi tang xác chấn động ở Lạng Sơn”. Báo Lao Động. Archived from the original on December 7, 2025. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ^ “datbeheading’s profile”. Watchpeopledie.tv. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ^ a b Thạch Hãn (December 4, 2025). “Thám tử mạng phá án Đoàn Văn Sáng?”. Luật Khoa tạp chí. Archived from the original on December 6, 2025. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
- ^ a b “越南屠夫”砍头煮尸 身分竟是公务员. Sin Chew Daily (in Chinese). December 8, 2025. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
- ^ a b “Khởi tố, bắt tạm giam Đoàn Văn Sáng về tội “Giết người”“. Cổng Thông tin điện tử Bộ Công an (in Vietnamese). October 3, 2025. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
- ^ Quốc Nam (December 11, 2025). “Bộ Công an chỉ đạo mở rộng điều tra vụ Đoàn Văn Sáng”. Báo điện tử Tiền Phong (in Vietnamese). Retrieved December 13, 2025.
