Teacher booked for raping five boys

Le Van Hung, 49, is facing charges of "raping people under 16," police said Friday.

Hung had previously been jailed for three years for "molesting children."

According to police, between 2020 and 2022, Hung was a teacher at an elementary school in Tam Nong District.

On several occasions, while in the middle of an ongoing class, Hung let the children do some homework and called a boy to the school's restroom for some "cleanup work."

Then he raped the boy.

He did that several times and was only busted late last year when a boy screamed loudly.

In his own report submitted to the school and the authorities, Hung said he "accidentally fell into the boy’s genital when doing the cleanup."

As police launched an investigation into Hung, they found he had raped five boys at the school between 2020 and 2022.

Hung was dismissed from the school later.

Le Phuoc Hau, head of the Education and Training Office in Tam Nong District, said that in 2009 when Hung had completed serving his jail term for child molestation, he was recruited by Dong Thap authorities to work as a teacher.

Hau was aware of Hung's record but said his hands were tied.

Nguyen Quy Hop, head of the Staff Organization Office at Dong Thap's Department of Education and Training, said the department had followed government's regulations in recruiting Hung. A government resolution in recruiting and employment staff in public schools at the time required applicants to submit documents proving their professional capability and their profile with the police's approval. It did not require a criminal record from the Justice Department like current regulations.

"The department basically did not have thorough knowledge about this case, otherwise it would not have gone through," Hop said, adding that the school could also have voiced its opinions, from the beginning or following regular reviews of performance and conduct, for the department to reconsider.

Doan Tan Buu, vice chairman of Dong Thap, said the province has ordered the department to review its recruitment steps regarding Hung's case, fix its teachers management system and beef up measures for students protection.

Vietnam does not have a sex offender registry and people convicted of child sex offense are not subject to any kinds of restraining orders around children after serving their sentence.