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Kevin Long Nguyen, 30, was arrested in August last year when he was driving his stolen car.
The owner of the car was Pham Viet Anh, a resident of Binh Duong which neighbors Ho Chi Minh City. But at the time of the theft, it was being driven by a young woman who had stopped to withdraw cash from an ATM on August 6.
According to the indictment, Nguyen had gone to the Becamex Tower shopping mall in Thu Dau Mot Town in Binh Duong to apply for a job but failed, local media reported.
When he was leaving the mall, he noticed the white Honda Civic with the key in the ignition, jumped in and drove off. This was captured by the CCTV camera.
Three days after the theft, a group of vigilantes patrolling their neighborhood spotted him driving the stolen vehicle on the street and chased him down. They captured him and handed him over to the police.
Long admitted to the police that he had tried to sell the car for VND470 million ($20,600) but was unable to find a buyer because he didn't have the registration papers.
Police said Long had returned to Vietnam in 2016 after losing his job in the U.S. and stayed homeless for a long time before ending up in jail for car theft.
In another case, in April this year, American Moon Atfri, 32, was sentenced to seven years in jail for attacking a Grab driver and stealing his motorbike.
