Chinese, Vietnamese duo in the dock for attacking traffic police in Saigon

A court in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday sentenced a Chinese man to five months and three days in jail and imposed a six-month suspended sentence on a Vietnamese man after the pair were arrested in June for attacking traffic police in the city.

Ho Chun Sum, 22, and his Vietnamese friend Vo Minh Quang, 20, were flagged over by police on June 11 for not wearing helmets on a motorbike Quang was driving in District 1. But they decided to ignore the instruction and sped off, prompting the officers to give chase.

After being caught and failing to present papers, Quang and Sum punched two officers in the face and Sum kicked over their motorcycle, according to prosecutors.

In court, Quang confessed to the offense, while Sum claimed he'd been drunk at the time and couldn't remember the incident clearly.

The two officers said their injuries were not serious and did not push for compensation.

Sum's sentence is equivalent to the time he has been in held in temporary detention, so he was released following the verdict.

Helmets became mandatory across Vietnam for all motorcycle drivers in 2009. Those who violate the rule face a fine of VND100,000-200,000 ($5-9).