The scene where a foreign man, identified as Aeron Lee Khei Chen, a Malaysian citizen, was found dead on the Trung Luong-My Thuan Expressway in Dong Thap Province, Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, November 24, 2025. Photo: M.T. / Tuoi Tre
On November 24 last year, at around 1:00 pm, several drivers traveling from Ho Chi Minh City toward the Mekong Delta spotted the body of a man lying in lane one near the median strip in My Loi Commune, Dong Thap.
Drivers swerved to avoid the body and immediately reported the incident to authorities.
The victim was wearing long pants, a black long-sleeved shirt, and a single white sneaker.
His head and face showed multiple injuries, and no vehicle was found at the scene, according to Colonel Nguyen Minh Tan, deputy director of the provincial police department.
Investigators identified the victim as Aeron Lee Khei Chen, 25, a Malaysian national who had entered Vietnam through Tan Son Nhat International Airport just three hours earlier.
Police determined Aeron Lee Khei Chen was a victim of a smuggling ring that arranged illegal exits for foreigners into Cambodia.
Two suspects, Ngo Hoang Thanh, 35, from Ho Chi Minh City, and Nguyen Hong Hai, 32, from neighboring Tay Ninh Province, were arrested and charged with organizing illegal border crossings.
Authorities are also investigating possible charges of human trafficking and failure to provide assistance to a person in life-threatening danger.
In recognition of the investigation’s success, the Dong Thap administration awarded commendations to three police units, including the criminal police division, the security investigation division, and the immigration division.
The case is part of a wider crackdown on illegal border crossings.
On the same day the Malaysian citizen’s body was found, police in Dong Thap detected suspicious signs involving two Chinese nationals, Yang Shuang Fu, 45, and Fan Zhuan Dong, 35, and invited them for questioning.
Verification showed that the two were also victims of another human-smuggling operation to Cambodia.
In that case, Dang Van Tam, 46, from Ca Mau Province, and Nguyen Van Nghi, 43, from Gia Lai Province, transported 10 Chinese citizens from Ho Chi Minh City to in An Giang Province, which borders Cambodia.
Huynh Si Phan, 35, from An Giang, then arranged their illegal exit into Cambodia.
Police have pressed charges against Phan, Tam, and Nghi for allegedly organizing illegal border crossings.
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