Chinese man gets 2.5 years for theft on Vietnam flight

According to the indictment, the theft occurred at around 5:15 pm on December 23, 2024, when Han was on Vietjet Air flight VJ1633 from Da Nang City to Ho Chi Minh City.

While taking his seat at 5C, Han noticed a black backpack stored in the overhead compartment above row 4 and decided to steal from it.

He opened the bag belonging to passenger Vu Trong Tung, who was seated at 4F, and took multiple $100 bills along with several VND500,000 ($19) Vietnamese notes, totaling more than VND60 million (about $2,280).

Passenger Nguyen Phuong Nam, seated at 7D, spotted Han’s suspicious behavior, recorded it on his phone, and alerted a flight attendant.

The crew then asked passengers in row 4 to check their belongings, and Tung discovered the money disappearing from his backpack.

The flight crew restrained Han and recovered the stolen cash, which matched the amount reported by Tung.

An official report was filed, and Han was handed over to the Immigration Department under the Ministry of Public Security after the flight.

During questioning, Han admitted to the theft.

Relevant agencies then transferred the case to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security for further investigation.