In Vietnam, the organizers of the illegal smuggling of foreigners to Cambodia were convicted
A court in Dong Thap Province sentenced two Vietnamese citizens to long prison terms for organizing the illegal smuggling of foreigners out of the country to Cambodia. Ngo Hoang Thanh received 9 years in prison, and Nguyen Hong Hai received 8 years. Both were found guilty of organizing illegal border crossings.
The investigation began after the death of a Malaysian citizen in November 2025. On November 24, the man entered Vietnam through Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. After that, Thanh and Hai picked him up by car and drove toward An Giang Province, from where the foreigner was supposed to be illegally transported to Cambodia.
Hai was driving, Thanh was sitting in the front passenger seat, and the Malaysian citizen was alone in the back seat. During the trip, the man became extremely nervous, opened the car door himself, and jumped onto the road. He died from his injuries. Later, his body was found on the Ho Chi Minh City — Trung Luong — My Thuan expressway.
According to investigators, Thanh and Hai were part of a scheme for the illegal transportation of foreigners. Their task was to meet people after they entered Vietnam and take them to Chau Doc bus station in An Giang Province. There, the foreigners were handed over to other members of the scheme for the subsequent illegal crossing of the border into Cambodia.
For each person successfully smuggled across, Thanh received from $1,000 to $2,000, after which he passed part of the money to Hai. Investigators established that, in addition to the deceased Malaysian citizen, Thanh organized the illegal departure of five more foreigners and received 116 million dong. Hai took part in smuggling four people and earned 19 million dong. Investigators also established that the deceased was a victim of a network that transported foreigners to Cambodia for subsequent work in companies and organizations linked to fraudulent operations. The court proceedings concluded on September 28, 2026.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/phap-luat/tuyen-an-2-bi-cao-trong-vu-thi-the-nguoi-dan-ong-nuoc-ngoai-tren-cao-toc-20260928115206551.htm https://vietnamnews.vn/society/1800743/two-men-sentenced-to-17-years-for-organising-illegal-exit-of-malaysian-man.html
