Chinese nationals pepper-spray Vietnamese driver, steal car in midnight ambush

The brazen attack occurred around 2 a.m. on Thursday near the Mai Son–National Highway 45 interchange in Dong Khe Commune, Thanh Hoa Province.

Nguyen Trong Manh, a local taxi driver, had stopped to assist what seemed to be stranded passengers when he was suddenly ambushed.

According to Manh's statement to police, the group attacked him with pepper spray before fleeing in his 7-seater vehicle, along with two of his mobile phones, heading north toward Hanoi.

Thanh Hoa police immediately launched a manhunt, using surveillance footage and the victim's account to track the suspects' movements. By 7 a.m., authorities had intercepted and arrested the group nearly 250 kilometers away in Luc Ngan District, Bac Giang Province.

The suspects have been identified as Chinese nationals from Guangxi, but their identities and motive remain under investigation.