Australian man caught robbing Saigon language center

The robbery took place last Friday at the Compass English language center on Tran Quoc Thao Street in District 3, police said Monday.

Jackson Warren Nicholson, 49, came to the center while a female staff was counting cash on the third floor. He jerked the tray of money from her and put it into his backpack. When the woman shouted for help and tried to hold the man, he pulled out a screwdriver and threatened to stab her.

Then, as he ran down the stairs, he was captured by the center’s security guards who handed him over to local police.

Nicholson told the police that he had committed the robbery because he had lost his passport and had no money to spend. He was staying at a hotel on De Tham Street in District 1's famous backpacker area. Further details were not revealed.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s southern metropolis, received over 8.6 million foreign visitors in 2019, up 13 percent year-on-year, according to the municipal tourism department.