Australian, American Vietnamese accused of ordering deadly attack over debt

The Family and Juvenile Tribunal of the HCMC People's Court opened the trial on Aug. 12 for Quach Ken Chee, 48, an Australian national of Vietnamese origin; Dinh Christina Phuong Thi, 30, a Vietnamese-American; and four accomplices. Two of the defendants were minors at the time of the crime.

Prosecutors said Chee met Thi and a man named Thinh in 2021. By mid-2023, frustrated that Thinh had repeatedly borrowed money without repaying, Chee asked Thi to "teach him a lesson."

Thi allegedly found a group on Facebook and paid them VND10.5 million (US$410) to rough up Thinh. When the victim suffered only minor scratches, Chee reportedly told her to hire others to make him "bleed" and to send him a video of the attack, promising VND15 million ($585).

Thi then involved her boyfriend, Nguyen Van Dung, 20, who bought three knives and recruited three friends. The group’s first attempt failed after a police patrol crossed their path, but Chee still sent VND10 million ($390) to be shared among them.

On Aug. 3, 2023, Dung lured Thinh out with a phone call and shared his location with his accomplices. As Thinh rode through District 4, Nguyen Thanh Thinh allegedly forced him off his bike and stabbed him twice in the chest and shoulder, while another man filmed the attack for Thi.

The victim fled toward District 7 but collapsed on the street. He died later in hospital.

Thi is accused of sending the video to Chee to demand payment. When she learned Thinh had died, she allegedly asked for more money to fund the group's escape to Cambodia, but Chee refused. The group was arrested before fleeing.

Investigators named Chee as the mastermind, saying he accepted the risk of a fatal outcome. The others face charges as direct participants or accomplices.

The trial was adjourned after one defendant claimed dual Vietnamese–Canadian citizenship, prompting judges to return the case for further investigation.