(TAP) - The Ho Chi Minh City police (Vietnam) have successfully dismantled a criminal ring led by a Chinese national. The group lured South Korean citizens to Vietnam with promises of “easy jobs with high pay”, then illegally detained them and extorted their assets.
The police department worked with suspect Luo Shenghua. Source: Ho Chi Minh City Public Security Department Portal.
On August 26, the Vietnam Ministry of Public Security Portal reported that the mastermind of the case was identified as Luo Shenghua (also known as Nam, Chinese nationality). The incident began when the victims, who were in South Korea and seeking employment, were approached via a social media account promising high-paying jobs in Vietnam. The suspects offered to cover all travel expenses, including plane tickets and airport pick-up, with just one simple condition: the victims had to send photos of their passports. Trusting the offer, three South Korean citizens entered Vietnam through Tan Son Nhat International Airport on August 14, 2025. However, instead of being taken to work, they were immediately brought to a hotel in Thuận Giao Ward, Ho Chi Minh City and later transferred to an apartment in the Emerald Golf View complex (Lai Thieu Ward, Ho Chi Minh City), where they were held.
Luo Shenghua hired three Vietnamese nationals: Vong Quang Tuan (born 1984, from Dong Nai Province), Nguyen Thanh Phuc (born 1987, from Can Tho City) and Le Van Kieu (born 2000, from Ca Mau Province) to guard the victims and offered them a daily wage ranging from 500,000 to 1,000,000 VND per person.
The police department worked with the suspects involved. Source: Ho Chi Minh City Public Security Department Portal.
At the location, Luo Shenghua and his accomplices illegally detained the victims, demanding that they either sell their bank accounts or pay a “fee” of up to 4.5 million won (equivalent to over 80 million VND) in order to regain their freedom and return to their home country. The case only came to light when the Embassy of South Korea in Vietnam informed the Lai Thieu Ward Police on August 19 that three of its citizens had gone missing and were suspected of being unlawfully held. Immediately, the Criminal Police Division (PC02) coordinated with local police and specialized units to launch an urgent investigation. Just a few hours later, at 6:00 p.m. the same day, authorities raided the suspected apartment and caught two individuals red-handed guarding the three South Korean victims. Following the investigation, on August 21, the Police Investigation Agency (PC02) issued a decision to initiate criminal proceedings, press charges and approve the temporary detention of all four suspects: Luo Shenghua, Vong Quang Tuan, Nguyen Thanh Phuc and Le Van Kieu for the crime of “Unlawful Detention”.
According to information released on August 26 by the Ho Chi Minh City Police news portal, city police determined that this was an organized criminal ring operating with sophisticated methods, seriously affecting public security and the country’s image. Authorities are urgently working to track down and expand the investigation to apprehend other individuals involved.
Amid the increasingly complex landscape of transnational crime, police advise the public, especially young people, to remain highly vigilant against online job offers that promise “easy jobs with high pay”. Individuals are urged to thoroughly verify employer information and under no circumstances, share images of personal identification documents with strangers to avoid falling into criminal traps.
Viet Anh