OSINT Training Log: Building Prosecutions Against Online Child Abusers in Vietnam

How Vietnam’s University of Prosecution, the French Embassy and OSINT Industries came together to strengthen the case against online child abusers.

Hanoi, Vietnam – October 2026

From 12 to 16 October, our trainer Yoni (@OSINT_Tactical) spent five days at Vietnam’s University of Prosecution in Hanoi, teaching prosecutors and officials from the People’s Procuracy how to use open-source intelligence to identify, trace and build cases against online child abusers. The course was organised by the University alongside the Supreme People’s Procuracy’s Department of International Cooperation and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters and the French Embassy in Vietnam, with OSINT Industries joining specialists from France’s Office for Minors (OFMIN) on the teaching team.

Mission Objective: From Digital Trace to Courtroom

Online child sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA) rarely respects borders, with offenders, victims and the platforms connecting them often spread across several jurisdictions, which leaves the evidence needed to convict an abuser scattered, fragile and frequently held overseas. For prosecutors, the challenge extends well beyond finding that evidence, because every lead must be collected, preserved and presented in a way that withstands judicial scrutiny. Programmes like this one help prosecutors build the skills they need to work effectively on cross-border cases.

Training Highlights

Across the week, the programme covered:

• Identifying Offences: Identifying child sexual abuse crimes in cyberspace
• CyberTipline Reports: Receiving and processing reports from the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
• Electronic Evidence: Collecting and preserving electronic evidence
• International Cooperation: Cooperating internationally to resolve cases

The sessions drew these strands together through case studies and practical exercises, showing prosecutors where open-source findings fit at each stage of a case and where they need corroboration before they reach court.

Operational Impact and Trainer Evaluation

“Prosecutors are the last line between a digital trace and a conviction, so when they understand exactly how OSINT evidence is found and verified, they can strengthen it and put it before a judge with confidence.” – Yoni, OSINT Industries Trainer

Opening the course, University Rector Dr Nguyen Van Khoat stressed that the growing complexity of these crimes demands stronger capability in handling electronic evidence alongside deeper international cooperation, while French Embassy Attaché Stephan Gay highlighted the role of technology and open-source intelligence in tracing perpetrators. By equipping prosecutors with the same intelligence methods their investigators rely on, the programme helps both sides of the justice process work from a shared understanding of digital evidence.

Mission Accomplished

OSINT Industries thanks the French Embassy in Vietnam, and in particular Sophie Bazard, Regional Technical Cooperation Specialist, for making this programme possible. We also thank Dr Nguyen Van Khoat and the University of Prosecution, Department 13 of the Supreme People’s Procuracy, our colleagues from OFMIN, and every trainee who gave the week their full commitment.

Training prosecutors or investigators on child protection cases? Get OSINT Training here.

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