![\"hianime\"](\"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/hilogo.png\")
With more than 150 million monthly visits, HiAnime was one of the most popular piracy portals to ever exist.<\/p>\nWith more than 150 million monthly visits, HiAnime was one of the most popular piracy portals to ever exist.<\/p>\n
The site, which was a prime destination for many anime pirates, surprisingly shut down in March<\/a> without offering an explanation for the sudden move.<\/p>\n HiAnime has been a major target for rightsholders for years. The operators were believed to reside in Vietnam, which was highlighted in the U.S. Trade Representative\u2019s (USTR) Notorious Markets report<\/a> just days before HiAnime said its goodbyes. <\/p>\n American rightsholders and the U.S. Government urged the Vietnamese authorities to take action against the site. These calls were serious, as the USTR doubled down in May<\/a> with its latest Special 301 Report classifying Vietnam as a \u201cPriority Foreign Country,\u201d opening the door to potential trade sanctions<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Vietnamese authorities take these concerns seriously. Late last week, Vietnam\u2019s Ministry of Public Security announced<\/a> that its anti-corruption and economic crime unit (C03) has charged seven suspects with copyright infringement and money laundering in connection with a pirate streaming network that operated more than 100 websites.<\/p>\n The written reports don\u2019t mention any sites by name, but a broadcast of the government operated state broadcaster Vietnam Television<\/a> clearly identifies footage of HiAnime.to, which is crossed out.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The investigation identified four alleged ringleaders, Nguy\u1ec5n \u0110\u00ecnh Minh Khoa, Nguy\u1ec5n Trung Anh, Nguy\u1ec5n \u0110\u00ecnh Xu\u00e2n, and Nguy\u1ec5n Ho\u00e0ng Thanh, who were arrested and charged with copyright infringement and money laundering. Three others, Nguy\u1ec5n Ph\u01b0\u1edbc To\u00e0n, Do\u00e3n Th\u00e0nh Lu\u00e2n, and Nguy\u1ec5n Kh\u01b0\u01a1ng Duy, were charged with copyright infringement only.<\/p>\n According to C03, the group operated from 2020 until April 2026, offering more than 26,000 unlicensed titles across their network of sites. The operation allegedly generated roughly $12.8 million through advertising revenue.<\/p>\n HiAnime has already been inactive since March and in a VTV broadcast<\/a> investigators browse through the Wayback Machine<\/a>, which clearly identifies HiAnime.to as the target. No other domain names are mentioned. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n The investigation was not a purely Vietnamese effort. According to the Ministry of Public Security, C03 acted on intelligence<\/a> provided by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE)<\/a>, the MPA\u2019s anti-piracy arm.<\/p>\n The U.S. involvement comes as no surprise as both countries have been discussing the piracy problems for years. In addition to the USTR\u2019s recent diplomatic escalation<\/a>, ACE has been seeking identifying information about the operators of HiAnime.to and related sites for years. <\/p>\n The American intelligence eventually helped the Vietnamese authorities to locate the suspects and dismantle one of the largest piracy rings that ever operated. <\/p>\n The seven suspects are all relatively young and some are described as recent IT graduates. The four ringleaders remain in custody while they await their trial and the others were placed under travel restrictions. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n The national broadcaster featured interviews with several suspects including Nguy\u1ec5n \u0110\u00ecnh Minh Khoa, who managed relationships with advertising platforms and was responsible for driving traffic to the sites.<\/p>\n Khoa reportedly confessed on camera to earning approximately 50 billion Vietnamese \u0111\u1ed3ng (roughly $2 million) in revenue from 2019 onward, which he spent on cars and personal expenses. The other ringleaders, who reportedly worked on website design or IT infrastructure, also generated substantial revenue.<\/p>\n According to investigators, the suspects received payments in cryptocurrency from foreign advertising platforms. These funds were then laundered through multiple intermediaries, after which they were transferred to personal Vietnamese bank accounts.<\/p>\n From there, the money was used to purchase real estate and vehicles, which prosecutors allege was intended to legitimize the illicit proceeds.<\/p>\n This is not the first time that Vietnamese authorities shut down a large piracy operation with help from ACE and U.S. law enforcement. American intelligence also helped to shut down the Fmovies<\/a> piracy ring in 2024. <\/p>\n Two Fmovies operators were eventually prosecuted and, while both confessed in full to all alleged crimes, they received only suspended prison sentences<\/a>. This means that, similar to previous convictions<\/a> in Vietnam, they did not have to serve any prison time.<\/p>\n These relatively mild sentences are a thorn in the side of rightsholders. The USTR also highlighted it as a problem in its recent report, urging the Vietnamese authorities<\/a> to seek \u201csignificantly more criminal prosecutions against online piracy operations\u201d while \u201cseeking deterrent-level prison sentences\u201d.<\/p>\n The first part of this request already appears to have started. On May 5, Vietnam\u2019s Prime Minister issued Urgent Telegram No. 38, ordering a nationwide crackdown on intellectual property violations. The Ministry of Public Security followed with its own classified directive the next day. <\/p>\n During the following weeks, Vietnamese police reportedly opened 90 cases<\/a> involving 142 suspects across various IP crimes, and shut down hundreds of infringing websites, including eight pirate film sites and 159 unnamed pirate football streaming platforms.<\/p>\n Whether the prosecution of the HiAnime-linked defendants will result in more deterrent sentences has yet to be seen, but it is clear that American rightsholders and U.S. authorities will be watching it closely. <\/p>\n From: TF<\/a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.<\/p>\nVietnam Arrests HiAnime Piracy Ring<\/h2>\n
![\"vtv](\"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/hianime1.png\")
<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n![\"vtv](\"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/hiwayscreen.png\")
<\/a><\/center><\/p>\nACE and HSI Cooperation<\/h2>\n
Crypto and Real Estate<\/h2>\n
![\"suspects\"](\"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/suspects-1.png\")
<\/center><\/p>\n\u2018Deterrent Prison Sentences\u2019 <\/h2>\n