A Chinese man was sentenced to 19 years in prison for slashing his Vietnamese wife and four of her family members in southern Vietnam.  

The People’s Court in Dong Nai Province on Wednesday imposed the punishment on Wen Yi Min, a 39-year-old Chinese national, after finding him guilty of attempted murder.

According to the indictment, Wen got married to Ha Vu Phuong, 26, in 2011 and the couple lived in Jaingxi, China until 2015, when Phuong brought their child back to her parents’ house in Trang Bom District, Dong Nai following a conflict.

Upon returning to Vietnam, Phuong decided that China did not suit her well and that she would prefer to stay in her hometown.

In early 2016, Wen came to Vietnam with the intention of convincing his wife to return to Jiangxi, a proposal which Phuong refused.

The Chinese husband then asked Phuong to let him stay at her parents’ house.

On the night of February 13, 2016, Wen was drinking at a party with members of Phuong’s family.

By 2:00 am the following morning, the Chinese man had become enraged and decided to murder Phuong’s family members.

Wen took a knife in the kitchen and attacked Phuong, along with her mother, Lau Nhoc Kiu, two of her younger sisters, Ha Tan Nguyen and Ha Vu Loan, and Liu Nhu Vu, Loan’s friend.

Phuong, Kiu, and Vu suffered brain injuries, while Nguyen and Loan were treated for less severe wounds.

Wen turned himself in to local police a day after the incident, claiming that he committed the act because he thought Phuong’s family was preventing her from returning to China.