A police officer in Ho Chi Minh City who beat a street vendor, causing him to be hospitalized on Thursday, has been suspended from work.

Luong Viet Ha, a police officer in District 6, was required to temporarily stop working after he was involved in a physical confrontation with Pham Thien Minh Phong, 28, that led to Phong being admitted to a hospital, said Senior Lieutenant Colonel Duong Ngoc Thanh, deputy chief of police in the district.

“The case is being investigated and we have yet to arrive at any conclusion on any specific violation of officer Ha,” Thanh said.

The suspension was imposed on Ha so that authorities could determine whether the police officer was wrong and find an appropriate form of discipline, he explained.

Colonel Nguyen Sy Quang, chief of staff at the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Police, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that officer Ha’s actions, as seen in a video that has gone viral online, violate regulations on police attitudes and behaviors.

He added that police are required to have proper enforcement methods when dealing with civilians.

At around 11:00 am on Thursday, a four and a half minute video surfaced on Facebook depicting a physical encounter between Ha and Phong in an area at Binh Tien Market on Pham Phu Thu Street.

The video appears to show an argument between the two that ended in violence when the police officer wrestled the vendor to the ground.

As Ha began to drag the victim away, onlookers rushed into the frame to stop him.

After briefly recovering on the ground, Phong stood up with help from those around.

The victim was later taken to the emergency room of the 115 People’s Hospital in District 10.

According to Nguyen Dinh Phu, deputy director of the infirmary, a CT scan on Friday morning showed that Phong suffers minor bleeding in his right hemisphere.

The patient has regained consciousness, with stable blood pressure, and still feels pain from the swollen wound on the left side of his head, the doctor said.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!