Vietnam’s largest pirated movie website shuts down
VOV.VN - R*phim, a pirated movie website that attracted tens of millions of visits each month, has announced its closure, following the freezing of the Xoilac system.
Launched in 2025, R*phim distributed pirated film and television content and quickly rose to prominence as a major illegal streaming platform in Vietnam. After the shutdown of phimmoi.net, it was widely considered the country’s largest remaining piracy hub. On February 5, the website abruptly posted a notice announcing the termination of its operations.
According to the website’s operators, the decision was made after acknowledging the negative impact of the platform on licensed content providers. They stated that the shutdown was intended to demonstrate a sense of responsibility and encouraged users to switch to legitimate streaming services such as FPT Play and TV360.
The site now displays only a shutdown notice, while its mobile and smart-TV applications have also ceased functioning.
During its short period of operation, the website drew rapid attention through heavy advertising across multiple platforms. Its interface closely resembled that of major over-the-top platforms such as Netflix, while fast streaming speeds and high-definition content helped it rapidly build a large user base. Data from SimilarWeb showed that R*phim consistently ranked as the most visited pirated movie website in Vietnam, with tens of millions of monthly visits.
The platform operated with a high level of sophistication, offering applications for Android, iOS, and Android TV. In addition to hosting illegal gambling advertisements, the operators also sold monthly subscription packages similar to those of licensed streaming services, generating unlawful profits.
Prior to R*phim’s shutdown, a series of websites within the Xoilac network were frozen on February 2, with pirated football content removed and live commentary and streams halted.
For years, such illegal copyright-infringing platforms have repeatedly drawn criticism for undermining licensed providers and causing significant financial losses to the media and entertainment industry.
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