Young robber gang specializes in killing motorbike taxi drivers to rob their property

During their time living in the park, Cuong and Vu committed a series of murders of motorbike taxi drivers to rob them of their belongings and get money to spend.

On the afternoon of August 15, Ho Chi Minh City People's Court opened a trial of Le Hoang Anh Vu (from Thua Thien Hue) and Nguyen Van Cuong (both 18 years old, from Ben Tre) for murder and robbery.

Investigation results determined that Cuong and Vu lived as vagrants in Phu Lam Park (District 6). To have money to spend, the couple formed a robbery gang. They always had knives on them, pretended to take a motorbike taxi to a deserted place, then killed them to rob them of their property.

Cuong and Vu in court. Photo: Xuan Duy.

On the night of July 30, 2015, Cuong and Vu hired Mr. Si (60 years old) to take them from Phu Lam Park to Binh Tan District. When they reached a deserted section of Highway 1A, the two used a knife to attack Mr. Si and steal his motorbike. The victim was lucky to escape, and Cuong and Vu got in the motorbike and escaped.

Similarly, in the early morning of January 11, 2016, the two hired Mr. Cuoc (45 years old), a motorbike taxi driver in Phu Lam Park, to take them to Binh Chanh for 100,000 VND. Cuong asked the motorbike taxi driver to take him to the internal road of the canal bank of Le Minh Xuan commune, Binh Chanh district. Upon arrival, Vu pulled out a knife and stabbed Mr. Cuoc many times in the side and back. The victim ran away and shouted for help, but the young robber chased after him and continued to stab him many times, causing him to collapse on the spot.

They sold the victim’s motorbike for 1.2 million VND, which they split and spent. That same morning, people found the man dead on the road and reported it to the police. More than two months later, the duo was arrested.

Vu and Cuong also confessed to stabbing two other motorbike taxi drivers in Binh Chanh district to steal their motorbikes and money. The investigation agency has not yet found the victims, so they will handle the case later.

At court today, the two defendants admitted their crimes. According to the panel of judges, their actions were particularly dangerous and required severe punishment. However, at the time of the crime, Vu and Cuong were minors, so the court reduced the sentence somewhat, sentencing them both to 18 years in prison (the maximum sentence for minors)./.

According to VNE