Vietnamese authorities have dismantled what experts identified as the world’s largest pirate streaming operation, FMovies, following a coordinated international effort that culminated in the arrest of two Hanoi residents in August 2024. Phan Thanh Cong and Nguyen Tuan Anh, both 34, were charged with copyright violations after confessing to masterminding the extensive piracy network that drew over 6.7 billion visits between January 2023 and June 2024.
The operation, led by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) in collaboration with Hanoi police, not only shuttered FMovies but also took down twelve related streaming sites including AniWave, Bflixz, Flixtorz, Movies7, Myflixer, and Vidsrc. TorrentFreak had previously highlighted FMovies as hosting one of the largest illegal content libraries available online, offering pirated movies, TV series, anime, and other prohibited content to global audiences. The targeting of these affiliated sites was part of a broader strategy to tackle the increasing illegal piracy activities across the region.
Joint operation by ACE and Hanoi police dismantled FMovies and twelve affiliated pirate streaming sites that offered vast libraries of illegal content worldwide.
ACE, which represents major media companies including Netflix, Disney, Amazon, Warner Bros., Universal, Sony, Paramount, describes the shutdown as a “stunning victory” for creators and production communities worldwide. The group’s partnership with Vietnamese law enforcement exemplifies growing international pressure on piracy hubs in Southeast Asia, with major Hollywood studios praising the collaborative effort. This enforcement action represents a significant milestone in U.S.-Vietnamese cooperation to protect intellectual property rights on a global scale.
The closure of FMovies created a ripple effect throughout the piracy ecosystem, impacting hundreds of smaller pirate sites that had relied on the hosting services of Vidsrc.to. Music rights organizations like performance rights organizations also benefit from such anti-piracy actions as they work to ensure creators receive proper royalties for their work. These anti-piracy efforts help legitimate musicians reclaim sync licensing revenue that would otherwise be lost through illegal distribution channels.
Vietnamese prosecutors are now seeking deterrent sentences for the arrested operators to address piracy at this unprecedented scale.
In a related development, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) announced in October 2025 that it had successfully taken down an additional 12 Vietnamese stream-ripping sites which collectively recorded over 620 million annual visits.
These sites specialized in extracting audio or video streams from legitimate services for illegal redistribution, demonstrating Vietnam’s continued efforts to combat various forms of digital piracy beyond movie streaming.
