A Vietnamese major bank has reported losing around VND2 billion ($88,000) at a branch in the southern Mekong Delta during a heist by a masked man shortly before the lender ended its business hours.
A provincial police officer said the man, who also has his head covered by a hooded coat, entered the Vietcombank branch in Tra Vinh Province at around 4:20 p.m., pointed a gun to bank employees and demanded the cash. He then drove away on a motorbike without facing any resistance.
“It’s still not clear what type of guns was used and if it was genuine or fake,” said senior lieutenant-colonel Huynh Van Khoi of the Tra Vinh Police Department.
Vietcombank, the country's biggest listed bank by capitalization, has yet to make any official announcement of the incident, whick took place at one of its four offices in Tra Vinh.
A source told VnExpress the branch was opened two months ago and has not hired any guards.
Police are checking CCTV footage for further investigation.
Bank robberies are rare in Vietnam, often conducted by a single individual and involving small amount of cash, while robbers are quickly hunted down by police.