Men rob Hanoi motel owner of 16 taels of gold jewelry

A tael equals 37.5 gm.

The police said Tuesday that Nguyen Viet Duy, 35, and Nguyen Trung Hieu, 29, were in debt and without stable incomes.

Nguyen Viet Duy (L) and Nguyen Trung Hieu when arrested. Photo by Ngoc Bich

Hieu is also a drug addict with two previous convictions for theft, and had been released from prison only last August.

On April 20 Hieu joined a Facebook group called "Debt-ridden – Desperate – Ready to risk it all," where he connected with Duy.

After several conversations, the two plotted a robbery.

Hieu suggested targeting a motel on Ngoc Ha Street, deep inside a quiet alley with no surveillance cameras.

He had stayed there before and knew the elderly woman owner frequently wore a lot of gold.

After agreeing on a plan the two men met at a bus stop in Soc Son District.

At around 2 p.m. on April 23 they went to the motel and saw the owner duly decked in plenty of jewelry.

Nguyen Viet Duy and Nguyen Trung Hieu reenact the robbery at a motel in Hanoi. Photo by Ngoc Bich

Pretending to rent a room, they engaged her in friendly conversation. After being shown to a room, they waited for the right moment to act.

At 7:30 p.m. that day Hieu told Duy to lure the owner upstairs by telling her there was a water leak. As she approached the restroom, Duy used a stun baton on her, causing her to collapse.

When she tried to flee, Duy zapped her again, tied her up and gagged her to prevent her from calling for help.

Meanwhile, Hieu stole all 16 taels of gold she was wearing and an iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Duy continued to restrain the woman while Hieu used a bedsheet to tie her limbs. They erased all evidence at the scene and dumped the stun baton into the Red River while fleeing across Nhat Tan Bridge.

They split the gold and sold it at several shops in Hanoi and nearby Tuyen Quang Province, collecting over VND1.4 billion ($54,000) in total.

After she was rescued the victim reported the incident to the police, telling officers that the gold was valued at VND1.7 billion based on the purchase price.

Duy and Hieu were arrested on April 26 and 27.

They confessed that prior to the motel robbery they had attempted to rob a gold shop in Hanoi's Soc Son District but aborted the plan due to the large number of customers present.