Teen phone snatchers nabbed in Saigon’s backpacker district

By Quoc Thang   June 14, 2018 | 11:11 pm PT
Teen phone snatchers nabbed in Saigon’s backpacker district
The two suspects are being held in police station for further investigation. Photo by VnExpress/Quoc Thang
A woman from the Philippines had her phone snatched while walking with a group of friends.

Ho Chi Minh City Police have arrested two Vietnamese men allegedly seen snatching a cell phone of a foreign tourist in the city center on Thursday.

Two teens were cruising District 1 on a motorbike looking for targets when they spotted the Filipino woman walking with a group of friends on the sidewalks of September 23 Park, close to the popular Ben Thanh Market.

The two young men were chased and captured by police officers minutes after they snatched the phone from the woman and fled.

The two young men, identified as Dao Minh Phuoc and Tran Tuan Khanh, 18 and 19 years old, are being held pending further investigation, police said.

The phone has been returned to the owner, they said.

Saigon, the country’s largest city, has received 3.2 million foreigners so far this year, but its popularity is threatened by rising crime, especially those targetting tourists.

Vietnam has welcomed 59,423 Philippine visitors so far this year, up 10 percent from a year ago. People from the Philippines, as everyone from the Southeast Asian region, are allowed to visit Vietnam without having to apply for visas.

 
 
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