Chinese passengers steal money on airplanes again.

A Chinese passenger stole 9.5 million VND from a Japanese passenger's suitcase, hiding it in a vomit bag, but was discovered by another passenger who reported it to the flight attendants.

At Tan Son Nhat International Airport on November 27th, another case of a Chinese passenger stealing on an airplane occurred.

Passport of Chen Chunhong - the "thief" on flight VN1373 on November 27th from Hue to Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Bao

Specifically, at approximately 1:40 PM, flight VN1373 took off from Phu Bai Airport (Hue City). About 40 minutes into the flight, passenger NTK (39 years old, residing in Ho Chi Minh City, seat 31C) noticed the passenger behind him (seat 33C) going to the upper area to retrieve their luggage in a very suspicious manner.

Later, this passenger took something from the suitcase, but Mr. K. didn't know exactly what it was. Mr. K. informed the flight attendants. The chief flight attendant, NTTH, checked the luggage of the passengers above, and a Japanese passenger (seated in seat 11D) reported that approximately 10 million VND was missing. The chief flight attendant drew up a report and informed the captain.

Upon landing at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, after the passengers had disembarked, the flight crew checked the seat of passenger 33C (a Chinese national) but found no valuables. However, upon checking seat number 17 – where the Chinese passenger had been sitting while rummaging through the luggage – the flight crew discovered money hidden in a vomit bag placed in front of him. The total amount was 9.5 million VND.

Representatives from Vietnam Airlines' Tan Son Nhat Operations Center handed over the report, evidence, and the offending passenger to the Tan Son Nhat International Airport aviation authorities for processing according to regulations. The identity of the "thief" is Chen Chunhong (born in 1973), a national from Hainan, China.

According to statistics, November saw a significant number of theft incidents involving Chinese passengers on airplanes. On November 24th alone, two incidents occurred on the Ho Chi Minh City - Da Nang and Da Nang - Ho Chi Minh City routes. Airlines stated that this phenomenon significantly impacts their reputation, while passengers feel insecure having to constantly watch over their luggage on both international and domestic flights. However, in most cases, the thieves were only deported back to their country and did not face any administrative penalties.

According to The Laborer