The crimes that foreigners commit in this country are normally drink related and are stupid crimes that don't really have any victims other than themselves. I have been here for over 5 years and the only "crimes" I have heard about that involved one or more seriously drunk people doing something dramatic or loud or even having a bit of a dumb fight in a foreigner bar, or shout at someone in the street. But this is the first time that I have seen a foreigner commit a crime that was planned and actually had a pretty good plan as far as getting away with it was concerned.
Normally in other countries, some attempt would be made to keep the accused's name and identity a secret, but that is not how the media/police operate here in Vietnam. Within an hour of the police catching up to him, his identity and picture was published everywhere including a photo of the information page from his passport.
The crime that he did is a strange one for anyone in this country and certainly for a foreigner that is staying here temporarily.
It was meant to be a quick, get in and get out smash and grab but things got more complicated for the American as bystanders attempted to trap him inside the building using pieces of metal and what not to secure the door.
His disguise was a good one as he dressed up as a Grab driver (kind of like Uber Eats here, but on a motorbike) and he was dressed just like that but with a full-face helmet and a face mask on. Honestly, this could have been anyone and the plan was pretty solid.
I think where this guy really screwed up though was when he attacked the security guard with a weapon. This sort of thing is treated very seriously in Vietnam and you can be guaranteed they are going to throw the book at him for this. Assault with a deadly weapon (it is believed he is holding a hammer in this CCTV footage) is a VERY serious crime in Vietnam and this is part of the reason why when you see a bit of a fracas between two Vietnamese men, they normally will not involve any weapons in it because a fight is a fight and normally just gets settled on the spot, an unfair fight is a very serious crime.
After beating the security guard, the staff had all fled but the doors were still unlocked. he went inside and smashed open the glass counters and then helped himself to whatever he wanted.
He then fled on foot wearing the Grab driver outfit, thinking incorrectly that this would be good enough for him to get away without being followed. A rented motorbike was nearby with the plates removed but well, he wasn't planning on one very important thing.
There is CCTV basically everywhere in Vietnam and the only thing the police had to do was to follow the footage of him driving, in a sort of looped and I am sure adrenaline filled ride back to to the place he had apparently booked on AirBnB. He was in police custody within a few hours of the crime.
his disguise was actually perfect because Grab drivers are so omnipresent that seriously, at any given point in time there are thousands of them on the roads in every direction. The full face mask and gloves conceal any distinguishing features about him and disappearing into the night was a pretty solid plan. He made his big mistake by driving back to his rented room right away as the police only needed to review their very extensive CCTV systems on the roadways to get an exact location of where he ended up. He apparently did not resist at all when they arrived at his room with a rather large police force in tow.
All stolen items were recovered and the total haul of this theft, as reported by the police was an estimated $32,000.
The video captures the event's end. The audio is in Vietnamese but you don't need the words to figure out what is going on here. I'm a little disappointed at the bystanders just getting out of his way but I guess they don't know what sort of weapons he has and are looking out for themselves.
The would be thief's name is James apparently. Well James, enjoy the next decade in an absolutely horrible Vietnamese prison.
We don't need this sort of crap happening here. The relationship that foreigners have with locals is actually kind of good, and I think I speak for the entire expat community when i say that I would really prefer that it stay that way.