Dinh Lenh Son, 28, was riding a motorbike on the streets of the town on May 4, looking for prey, when he found the unidentified tourist riding a bicycle with a handbag in the pannier, Cong An newspaper reported.
Son snatched the handbag and sped away.
The victim complained to the local police, saying the bag had contained the passport, other personal papers, bank cards, and VND3 million (US$128) in cash.
The police took in Son, and retrieved all the stolen items, which they returned to the victim.
Son confessed to stealing the bag.
Police said he had a previous conviction for the same crime.
Theft is a criminal offense if the value of the stolen property exceeds VND2 million.
Ninh Binh is situated around two hours south of Hanoi by road.