Packs of 100 Chinese yuan banknotes that four Vietnamese women hid in their handbags and shoes. Photo: Trung Dung
At around 8:00 am on May 21, a joint task force including Vietnamese border guards, police, and customs officers discovered the four women concealing large sums of cash as they prepared to leave Vietnam for China via the Lao Cai-Hekou international border gate.
The suspects were identified as Pham Thi Thu, Dinh Thi Lan, Dinh Thi Mo, and Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, all residing in the provincial city of Lao Cai.
Four Vietnamese women illegally transporting Chinese yuan banknotes across the border are arrested by the authorities. Photo: Trung Dung
Pham Thi Thu confessed that she had been paid VND300,000 ($12) by an unidentified man to transport the 300,000 yuan from Duyen Hai Ward in Lao Cai City to China.
Due to the large volume of cash—totaling 3,000 banknotes—she recruited the other three women to split and hide the money among themselves.
These four concealed the cash in their shoes and handbags and attempted to exit Vietnam using travel permits without declaring the currency to customs officers.
They were apprehended while passing through the border’s exit lane.
Authorities then sealed and confiscated the evidence.
Border guards search the residence of Pham Thi Thu, one of the four women residing in Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam that have been arrested for attempting to illegally smuggle 300,000 Chinese yuan (US$42,000) into China. Photo: Trung Dung
Official verification confirmed the money was genuine, equivalent to over VND1 billion based on the current exchange rate.
The Lao Cai International Border Guard Station has filed criminal charges and initiated a formal investigation into the case.
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