Exposing Rise's new trick.

At first glance, the “Fellowship Rise – Movement Leadership Scholarship” program in 2025 seems like the perfect program, with outstanding features such as the ability to help individuals passionate about social work, who have been and are currently undertaking “projects” and “initiatives” serving the community, to receive financial support to maximize their impact on the community…

But in reality, this is just a new ploy by Vietnamrise (Rise), an offshoot organization of Viet Tan, an organization listed as a terrorist group by the Ministry of Public Security . The program, launched by Rise's leaders, aims to recruit and develop a force among young people and students with potential for future development, in order to carry out a "color revolution" or "street revolution" to overthrow the political regime in Vietnam.

Exposing Rise-0's new trick. — Hoang Tu Duy is the leader of "Viet Tan" and the members who run Rise.

Previously, around the end of 2024, Rise announced on its fanpage the "Rise Fellowship - Movement Leadership Scholarship" program. To promote and attract a large number of participants, the leaders of Rise simultaneously made appealing claims such as: Currently, Rise promotes community participation through two programs: specialized training providing workshops and a movement support program to accompany the communities they are involved in. The program will work alongside individuals on their development journey for 6 months, through main activities including coaching, financial support, and community networking for individual initiatives…

The participants were also informed about the program's highlights, such as personal leadership orientation; financial support; intensive leadership courses in civil movements; and opportunities to network, learn, and collaborate with other Fellows, enhancing understanding and empathy for other movements in Vietnam. Among these, the financial support was a prominent feature. Fellows have the opportunity to receive financial support of up to 15 million VND to implement their own service and development initiatives.

On social media, Rise also provided instructions on how to apply and the schedule. Enticed by these favorable "terms," some students registered. However, after registering and attending a few classes, many withdrew their participation because they realized the true intentions of the organizers.

To understand the true nature of the so-called "Fellowship Rise" program, it is first necessary to understand "Rise" and Angelina Trang Huynh.

Previously, to carry out its plot and intentions, Viet Tan directed the establishment of several affiliated organizations, operating under the guise of subversive activities in various fields and areas. These organizations thoroughly exploited the names of social, professional, and religious clubs; using the slogans of fighting for "democracy," " human rights ," "patriotism," and "protecting the Fatherland" to incite gatherings, protests, and disrupt public order and security.

Typical examples include the peripheral organizations Rise and Voice, which have implemented numerous subversive activities. These include using media channels to disseminate articles and images with negative content about the domestic political and social situation; interacting with certain community groups and social organizations; organizing online training courses, events, programs, and competitions under the guise of "civil society" to promote and attract participants, especially young people, students, and youth, in order to increase the organization's influence. Examples include: training courses on "Understanding Social Movement Building," "Communication Skills," and "Civil Society Vocational School"; online seminars on "Workers' Rights" and "Leading Movements in a Challenging Context"; the "Social Movement Festival - SMF" event; and the prize-winning competition "Vietnam Social Debate." Financial support programs for implementing "civil society" projects and initiatives in the country…

On March 2, 2020, three key members of Viet Tan, including Trinnitry Pham Hong Thuan, Angelina Trang Huynh (Huynh Pham Phuong Trang), and Nguyen Quoc Trinh, publicly resigned from the Viet Tan organization and announced the formation of the so-called Rise organization, with the slogan "Rise: Change Within Reach," registered as a non-profit environmental organization based in the United States.

Angelina Trang Huynh is the CEO; the advisory team includes Nguyen Manh Hung, former Deputy Head of the Vietnamese Section at the BBC, currently a contributor to VOA; and Nguyen Khoa Dieu Quyen (wife of Truc Ho, spokesperson for SBTN).

These are the leading figures and key members of Viet Tan, who have committed numerous acts that violate Vietnam's national security.

Rise's purpose in implementing the program is to connect with, attract, and develop a force among young people and students with potential for future development, building a generation of young Vietnamese who understand "civil society" and have sympathy and gratitude towards Rise. In reality, the intention of these individuals is to gather and develop a force to carry out Rise's subversive plans aimed at overthrowing the political regime in Vietnam.

To implement the plan, Huynh Pham Phuong Trang directed the media team to intensify the promotion and expansion of the "Fellowship Rise - Leadership Scholarship" program through Rise's media channels (Facebook, website) and instructed members of the media team to disseminate information about the program in groups and associations with large memberships to increase the number of young people and students registering to participate in the program.

After its establishment, Rise provided financial support to individuals within the country to carry out activities against the Party and the State under their direction and guidance. A typical example is the case of Le Quoc Anh (born in 1991, residing in Ward 9, My Tho City, Tien Giang Province).

Regarding the above incident, on November 28, 2023, the Tien Giang Provincial Police announced that the Security Investigation Agency had issued a special wanted notice for Le Quoc Anh for the act of "Making, possessing, disseminating, and propagating information and documents aimed at opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam" under Article 117 of the 2015 Penal Code. Previously, Le Quoc Anh was lured by the leaders of Rise to participate in online training courses on civil society, gradually being drawn into the organization. Subsequently, Le Quoc Anh regularly contacted and received money to carry out activities against the Party and the State as directed by the Rise leaders.

Regarding the benefits for those who complete the "Fellowship Rise - Leadership Scholarship for Social Movements" program, the Rise leadership commits that selected scholarship recipients will receive in-depth training in organizing and leading social movements; connect, learn from, and collaborate with other civil society organizations to enhance their understanding of the current civil society movement in Vietnam; and receive 15 million VND in support to implement practical initiatives and develop their own capabilities.

The Rise ringleaders instructed the "training group" to create an online registration link for individuals interested in participating in the "Rise Federation Leadership Scholarship" program. They required applicants to submit applications (including application forms, personal proposals, and personal information) so that Rise could contact them for interviews and eligibility assessments. Rise would then announce the results and provide detailed instructions on how to participate in the "Rise Federation Leadership Scholarship" program to successful applicants.

In fact, this is just one of Trang's new tricks. Previously, Trang and the core members of Rise had organized many courses with similar content. But later, participants discovered the truth. In reality, many people who attended did not receive the benefits as advertised.

In some cases, after mistakenly participating in programs and training courses on "civil society" organized by reactionary and anti-government organizations, especially Rise and Viet Tan, individuals have committed illegal acts and been prosecuted by Vietnamese law. Examples include Pham Thi Doan Trang and Le Quoc Anh… Therefore, many have withdrawn their participation. To continue pursuing their motives and goals of undermining the regime, these individuals continue to employ new tactics to achieve their objectives…

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