Police in Ho Chi Minh City have captured five people after breaking up a ring that forged documents Vietnamese people use to apply for a visa to the U.S. Three of the five, Ho Si Hieu, 35, Chu Hai Hung, 43, and Pham Thi Hang, 38 (Hung’s wife), all of central Ha Tinh Province, were arrested on Monday, police said. According to Hieu’s testimonies, he charged their customers, including the above couple, as much as US$12,000 per set of fake papers, investigators said. Police also detained two other people, D.V.T., 42, of HCMC’s District 7, and C.Q.T., 39, of southern Binh Duong Province, for allegedly using bogus papers made by the ring. Hieu told investigators that in May, Hung and Hang asked him to counterfeit many documents they needed to apply for their visas to visit the U.S. The couple planned that they would illegally stay in the U.S after getting there with travel visas, Hieu said. Hieu added that he had T., a member of his ring, fake a savings account book worth VND1 billion ($47,000), a bank deposit certificate for another VND1 billion, a business registration certificate, a household registration book, and some other necessary papers. Under their agreement with the ring, the couple paid the paper forgers a deposit of $1,000 and in late May, they would settle the remaining $11,000 after getting all the fake documents as required. The couple then used those papers to apply for their travel visas to the U.S. On July 14, Hung and his wife arrived in Ho Chi Minh City for their visa interview and they were arrested by police that had found the papers in their visa applications to be fake. Hieu, who accompanied Hung and Hang to the southern city, was nabbed later as police had questioned the couple. On searching Hieu, police seized a fake passport and a counterfeit rubber stamp showing the name of a South Korean immigration agency. Police are expanding their investigation to track down others involved in the ring.
More
Date of Russian President Putin’s visit to Vietnam to be determined after his inauguration
Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Stepanovich Bezdetko reaffirmed that the Russian president accepted the invitation to visit Vietnam from General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong during a phone talk in March
Read more
Falling tree injures one in Ho Chi Minh City
7 years agoHighlights
Date of Russian President Putin’s visit to Vietnam to be determined after his inauguration
Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Stepanovich Bezdetko reaffirmed that the Russian president accepted the invitation to visit Vietnam from General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong during a phone talk in March
Photos
Artist paints murals on house to raise awareness of COVID-19 prevention in Hanoi
He drew the virus, vaccine, and earth on the exterior walls of a house
Latest news
Date of Russian President Putin’s visit to Vietnam to be determined after his inauguration
Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Stepanovich Bezdetko reaffirmed that the Russian president accepted the invitation to visit Vietnam from General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong during a phone talk in March
Heavy rains kill at least 10 in southern Brazil, governor warns of historic disaster
Ten people died and 21 are missing due to heavy rains
Vietnam’s National Assembly dismisses Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue from office
The legislative body also approved the nullification of his membership in the Council for National Defense and Security as well as canceled his role as a delegate of the 15th National Assembly
BMW car engulfed in flames in Hanoi
The flames destroyed the BMW car, and burned the rear end and front end of the two cars parked near the BMW
India widens spices probe amid contamination concerns
India's food safety regulator has ordered testing and inspections at all companies making spice mixes
73 suffer suspected food poisoning after eating 'banh mi' in Vietnam
All of the 73 patients were initially diagnosed with an intestinal infection and were given prompt treatment and care
FDI in Vietnam’s property market in jumps fourfold year on year
Vietnam received foreign direct investment commitments worth US$1.68 billion in the real estate sector in the first four months of this year
Tan Son Nhat airport crowded with taxi, ride-hailing drivers amid high holiday demand
The average number of passengers arriving at the domestic terminal reached between 2,000 and 300,000 during peak hours
Road crashes kill 138 during 5-day holiday in Vietnam
There was one waterway traffic accident that took one life while no crash occurred on the railway
Hanoi police deny reports of vendor charging tourists VND500,000 for 3 pineapples
Police officers affirmed that the vendor sold one peeled pineapple for VND50,000 ($1.97)