Vietnam to prosecute two Chinese robbers

Ding Shi Jie, 30, and Ding Ning Shan, 36, entered Vietnam illegally on Tuesday through the Mong Cai border gate in the northern province.

The same night, the duo broke into the office of a petrol station in Hoa Lac Ward in Mong Cai Town, around 156 kilometers (96 miles) northwest of the world-famous Ha Long Bay.

When a female staff of the petrol station spotted the duo and raised an alarm, they gagged her and tied her hands before ransacking the office. They also took a cell phone and VND210,000 ($9) from the woman.

Residents who heard the commotion alerted the local police. They also caught Shan and took him to the police station, while Jie escaped with a car at the petrol station.

Jie then rammed the car into the police and managed to rescue his accomplice before fleeing. Yet both were arrested after they crashed into a street divider and the car plunged off the road.

A car that two Chinese robbers stole from a petrol station in Quang Ninh to flee from the police on Tuesday is badly damaged. Photo by VnExpress/B.M.

Cases of Chinese nationals illegally entering Vietnam via the border in Quang Ninh are common. In several instances, they have been caught overstaying their visas after a trip to Ha Long.