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Ho Chi Minh City has seen a big surge in convenience store robberies in the past few months.
Nearly 20 cases have been reported in less than two months.
The typical modus operandi seems to be that the thieves enter a store a group of five to 10 people, pick what they want and walk out as a group, so that the staff is confused on how to handle the theft.
A report by national broadcaster VTV said that if any employee tried to stop them or resisted the theft, the gang would hurt the staff with their bare hands, or use bottles inside the store as weapon. Some camera footage has even captured thieves using knives.
The robberies occurred between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m, the report said.
Online news site Nguoi Tieu Dung reported that one group even robbed several convenience stores on one night in the downtown District 3.
The number of convenience stores in HCMC rose by 5.1 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2018 to over 1,800. Among these, nearly 1,200 stores are open 24 hours, with just one or two employees working in the late hours, and no guard protecting the store.
The VTV report cited experts as advising store employee that protecting themselves should be the first priority in such situations.
Below is footage of one robbery that occurred at 1:30 a.m. at a convenience store on Ho Xuan Huong Street, District 3, and another at 2 a.m. in District 11.
