A Houston woman says she was raped while staying at a resort in Vietnam in July, and authorities there have charged a 23-year-old man in a case that has drawn unusual public attention in a country where sexual violence is rarely discussed openly. 

Nguyen Thi Quynh Tam, 24, told the Associated Press she was raped July 5 and later pressured by the man’s family to accept money and avoid police. She said local police also urged her to settle privately. After Tam sought help from U.S. officials and her father contacted U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, Vietnamese officials confirmed that authorities had charged the 23-year-old man with rape.

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A State Department spokesperson told the Houston Chronicle that the agency is aware of the case but because of legal and privacy considerations it wouldn’t comment on the specific case.

A spokesperson for Cruz did not return messages seeking comment.

A spokesperson for Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry said authorities had initiated legal proceedings, but did not respond to questions about

Tam’s allegation that police pressured her to settle the case.

Tam’s family moved to the United States when she was 5. She returned to Vietnam in May for a banking internship and joined acquaintances on a July 4 trip to a resort in Phu Tho, near Hanoi.

In her complaint, she said she fell asleep in an unlocked bedroom after being unable to enter the room at the resort where she was to stay.

She later woke to a 23-year-old man kissing her neck.

Tam said she told him to stop and tried to push him away, but he overpowered and raped her.

Days after the incident, the father of her alleged attacker met with Tam and friends of her family. She said he offered her money in exchange for not involving police.

The father of Tam’s alleged attacker told the Associated Press that his family had “no intention” of pressuring Tam to drop the case and declined to comment further.

Then, while receiving mental health care at a Hanoi hospital, Tam said, police asked her to settle the case.

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This article originally published at Houston woman says she was raped in Vietnam, as authorities near Hanoi charge 23-year-old man.