ONUS fraud case widens as Vietnam arrests key suspects

Vietnamese authorities have opened a wide fraud case tied to the ONUS crypto ecosystem after detaining several suspects and accusing them of using token promotions and controlled trading to take investor funds. 

The case puts fresh focus on crypto enforcement in one of the world’s busiest retail digital asset markets.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security launched criminal proceedings on March 23 over alleged “appropriating property through computer networks” and “money laundering” linked to the ONUS ecosystem, according to local reporting that cited the ministry’s investigation agency. The probe covers Hanoi and several other provinces and cities.

Authorities named several suspects in the case, including Vuong Le Vinh Nhan, Tran Quang Chien, and Ngo Thi Thao, based on Vietnamese reports. Investigators say the group promoted and traded tokens through the ONUS platform while keeping control over supply, demand, and pricing.

Investigators allege the group used promotions and coordinated trading activity to present certain tokens as real investment products while managing their markets from the center. Local reports said the case involves tokens such as VNDC, ONUS, and HNG.

Vietnamnet reported that police view the matter as one of the country’s largest cybercrime investigations tied to digital assets. Authorities have not published a full public breakdown of investor losses, though reports on the case said the scheme drew in funds worth billions of US dollars.

Vemanti Group said it learned through the ministry’s announcement and local media that Nhan Vuong, its board chairman, and Chien Tran, a board member, had been indicted. The company said it had received no earlier notice from authorities in any jurisdiction before the public reports appeared.

Vemanti added that it had hired US legal counsel to review the matter. The statement linked the investigation to ONUS Pro, the platform at the center of the Vietnam case.

Vietnam’s crypto market faces more fraud scrutiny

The case lands at a time when Vietnam remains a major crypto market. Chainalysis ranked Vietnam fourth in its 2025 Global Crypto Adoption Index, placing it among the world’s most active countries for grassroots digital asset use.

Regional enforcement has also widened beyond Vietnam. In India, the CBI said it arrested a Mumbai-based suspect accused of sending people to scam compounds in Myanmar, where trafficked victims were allegedly forced to run online fraud, including cryptocurrency investment scams and romance scams.