Death of Nguyễn Xuân Đạt

The death 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, Vietnam.^[1][3][4] The case gained traction in 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 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.^[2][5][7]

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 through gore sites and other platforms with an extended version. It is described by Vice as the first authentic snuff film.^[5]

The videos, recorded from multiple angles, show Đạt naked, lying on his back, with 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] The proceeding footage included Đạt's dismemberment, the assailant holding Đạt's decapitated head with a face mask on, and Đạt's internal organs being cooked, indicating potential vorarephillia or cannibalism.^[2][7]

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 and ending the video.^[5]

Before an official conclusion, many online Vietnamese investigators proceeded OSINT and forensic investigations aimed to gain further information about the case.^[8] Regarding details in The Vietnamese Butcher, 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 they denied involvement.^[5]

The victim was identified as Nguyễn Xuân Đạt, born on March 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.^[10] Prior to his death, Đạt was an active member in gore sites,^[11] and had often expressed his wish to be decapitated at least since 2022.^[5] Additionally, Đạt made a comment on a porn site requesting the Vietnamese translation of the ero guro manga "Applicant for Death" (他殺志願) by Juan Gotoh that shared similarities with Đạt's death, notably details related to guillotines, consensual homicide, and speaking decapitated heads.^[5]

After the murder, his Facebook account was taken control of (presumably by the assailant) and was locked down.^[5]

In 23 November 2025, an 88-page summary, often referred to as "the 88-page document" (Tài liệu 88 trang) compiling information about the case was published on Facebook. The document contained speculative theories and information on the victim, the crime scene and had also provided suspicions regarding the possibility of Đoàn Văn Sáng being the assailant, based on the correlations between the assailant's and Sáng's bodily characteristics, activities, and contact.^[1][12].

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][10]

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 office of the Market Surveillance Unit No. 4, which was vacant due to Lunar New Year celebrations, and was killed consequently.^[10]

On December 10, 2025, the Ministry of Public Security recommended the Lạng Sơn Provincial Police to expand investigations and obtain further evidence.^[13] As of December 18, the investigation is ongoing.

Ben Ditto of Vice wrote a report on The Vietnamese Butcher, claiming the report was the first by a major news outlet.^[5] After the release of the 88-page document and Sáng's subsequent arrest, the case gained significant traction within Vietnamese media, with articles published by VnExpress, Thanh Niên, and VietNamNet.^[1][14][15]

According to Sin Chew Daily, since Vietnamese police did not initially publicize any information, netizens participated in the investigation and eventually published a compilation of evidence at the end of November 2025, finding Đoàn Văn Sáng to be the assailant, as well as speculating on where the crime scene was.^[16] 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]

The Hưng Yên Provincial Police Department discourages people from downloading or accessing the original documents, citing "malware concerns".^[12]

• Snuff film
• Murder of Bernd Brandes, a similar case of consensual murder and cannibalism