Vietnam announced on Thursday that it has listed two separatist Montagnard groups based in the US as terrorist organizations on Thursday. The Montagnard refers to an array of highland minorities distinct from the majority Viet population. Because of the two groups are now listed as terrorist organizations, anyone found by Vietnamese authorities to have engaged with or aided the groups may face criminal charges. 

The groups are the Montagnard Support Group, established in 2011 and led by Y Mut Mlo, and Montagnards Stand for Justice, established in 2019 and led by Y Quynh Bdap. According to the statement from Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, the two groups are responsible for enticing ethnic minorities to use violence, conduct terrorism and incite armed riots. The ministry also claimed that the two groups have utilized propaganda and manipulation to train, fund and direct weapons procurement in order to conduct terrorist attacks.

Both groups are based in the US. The Vietnamese government has accused them of plotting and carrying out the June 2023 shootings at Ea Tieu and Ea Ktur that killed four policemen. The US embassy in Hanoi has not yet released a statement regarding the terrorist designations. 

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam has a fractious relationship with the Montagnard. The Montagnard were utilized and trained by American forces during the Vietnam War for unconventional warfare against the now ruling government in Hanoi.