Men arrested for snatching bag from Canadian tourist in Saigon

Police in Ho Chi Minh City detained two Vietnamese men for snatching a handbag from a foreign tourist in the city center on Friday.

The Canadian woman, 21, whose name has not been revealed, was walking with a group of friends on Nguyen Trai Street in District 1, five-minute ride from the popular Ben Thanh Market, in the afternoon when she lost her bag to the two men on a motorbike.

Some passersby chased after the thieves and managed to catch one of them after their motorbike crashed. Police stepped in and caught the other.

One of the bag snatchers (in caro shirt) is taken back to the scene facing the tourist. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Long

The two are being held for further investigation.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's largest metropolis, is one of the most visited destinations in the country, with 3.2 million foreigners arriving in the first five months of 2018. Travelers are attracted by the city's mix of modern comfort and wartime heritage, but its charm is being undermined by street crimes, traffic chaos and pollution.

Vietnam has welcomed 76,650 Canadian visitors so far this year, up 10 percent from a year ago. The country last December including Canadians into a list of citizens eligible for its e-visa policy, in an attempt to attract more visits from the North American country.