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Vietnamese Police Crack Down on Silkroad Private Servers
VinSro and Sro Thổ Quỷ shut down, 6 people face criminal charges, illegal gambling uncovered in the player community
✔ This report is based solely on official Vietnamese news sources.
News Desk – Over the past two months, at least two pirate Silkroad servers have been taken down in Vietnam. The investigations involve the game "Silkroad Origin – Con Đường Tơ Lụa," exclusively published in the country by VTC Công nghệ và Nội dung số (VTC Intecom). Vietnamese police have charged the server owners with "copyright infringement," and one of the investigations also exposed illegal lottery betting inside the player community.
CASE 1: SRO THỔ QUỶ (Bắc Ninh)
It started with a Facebook account
While monitoring social media, the internal security unit of Bắc Ninh Provincial Police identified a Facebook account managing a server called "Sro Thổ Quỷ." The account was publishing an online game whose content and storyline had never been approved by the authorities, and the game's visuals, story and content matched the *official sro* Origin. The Director of Bắc Ninh Provincial Police then personally ordered a special investigation to be opened.
A professional team with clear roles
According to investigators, three people built and ran the server together starting in March 2026:
- N. V. Hưng (born 1994, Bắc Ninh), named as the ringleader
- N. V. Phúc (born 1992, Bắc Ninh)
- P. Q. Huỳnh (born 1992, Hanoi)
The raid and the gambling link
On July 14, police simultaneously searched the suspects' homes and seized computers, storage devices and documents. As the investigation expanded, police found that some players were using the game's communication channels to place illegal lottery bets (lô đề). As a result, two players, T. T. Vũ (Lâm Đồng) and Đ. Đ. Thắng (Ninh Bình), were separately charged with "Gambling."
"Thổ Quỷ" is the Vietnamese reading of the characters 土鬼, which appears to correspond to Togui Village in the game. The server seems to have taken its name from one of the game's own locations.
CASE 2: VINSRO SILKROAD (Phú Thọ)
On the cybercrime unit's radar
On August 7, the cybersecurity and high-tech crime unit of Phú Thọ Provincial Police handed its findings over to the criminal police division, opening a formal investigation.
What did they find?
- The server was run by H. V. Thành (26, from Lâm Đồng).
- Thành copied and modified the *official sro* Origin, renamed it "VinSro Silkroad," and operated it through vinsro.online.
- A technical review by the Vietnam Copyright Protection Center confirmed the game was copied from the official version.
- Investigators calculated his illegal profits down to the last dong: 97,401,061 VND (roughly USD 3,700).
The charge
In a decision made public on October 13, Thành was charged under Article 225 of the Vietnamese Penal Code ("Infringement of copyright and related rights"). Police say the investigation is being expanded.
NEWS FOOTAGE
TIMELINE
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 2026 | Sro Thổ Quỷ goes live |
| July 14 | Simultaneous raids on the Sro Thổ Quỷ team; equipment seized |
| August 7 | VinSro case becomes a formal investigation in Phú Thọ |
| August 14 | Gambling charges added to the Sro Thổ Quỷ case (2 players) |
| August 17 | Sro Thổ Quỷ's 3 founders charged with copyright infringement |
| October 13 | VinSro owner charged under Article 225 |
One of the most common beliefs in the community is that renaming a server or editing the files gets around copyright. Both Vietnamese cases point the other way:
- The authorities found that the servers' visuals, content and storyline matched the official game. Which version of the files was used never even came up.
- Using different names like "VinSro" or "Sro Thổ Quỷ" did not prevent the charges.
- The maps, character models, icons and code belong to Jmax regardless of version, and the right to publish the game in a country belongs to the licensed publisher.
WHAT PENALTIES DO THEY FACE?
Both cases are still at the investigation and charging stage. No indictment, sentencing request or court ruling has been announced yet. Article 225 of the Vietnamese Penal Code provides for fines and non-custodial reform for copyright infringement, and in aggravated cases, such as organised activity or large profits, it allows up to 3 years in prison. Gambling is prosecuted under a separate article that also carries prison terms.
WHO'S NEXT?According to Vietnamese media, Phú Thọ police have also opened a case against another server called "Sro Đại Hùng." Authorities have publicly warned individuals and organisations against copying, modifying or operating games without the rights holder's permission. In short, these are unlikely to be the last crackdowns on pirate Silkroad servers in Vietnam.