An eatery in Da Lat, a famous tourist city in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, has been suspended from business for seven days for using violence against a group of guests, which eventually caused a Vietnamese-American woman to be hospitalized.

Police in Ward 1, Da Lat City, on Saturday decided to cease the operations of Bich Thuy, a diner located within the Da Lat Night Market, for seven days for their violations.

Lo Thieu Mai Trang, the 29-year-old waitress who directly assaulted the customers, was also fined VND2.5 million (US$110).

Do Ngoc Hoa, chief of the police department in Ward 1, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the penalties are suitable.

Although the public has been extremely enraged by the violence, the behavior could not be considered a criminal offense, Hoa elaborated.

This is also the first time that Trang has committed such wrongdoing, the police official added.

According to the case file, a group of six tourists, including Nguyen Thi Cam Van and her Vietnamese-American cousin Do Saphia Thuy, arrived at Bich Thuy on the evening of March 6 and ordered some dishes.

Some of the food was said to be undercooked, while the staff forced them to buy a large bowl of soup that they did not order.

Before leaving the eatery, Van used her smartphone to take a photo of the facility, prompting one attendant to shout, “That girl hasn’t paid yet and she’s taking photos to post on Facebook! Stop her!”

A woman rushed out from behind the chef’s counter to stop Van while an angry mob attacked the rest of the tourist group.

While one restaurant worker demanded that Van delete the photos she took of the eatery, waitress Trang jumped in and grabbed Saphia Thuy’s hair, knocked her to the ground, and repeatedly hit and kicked her in the face and abdomen.

Saphia Thuy fainted shortly after the assault and Van left with a bloody face.

Footage of the incident was then uploaded to social media, which infuriated many people.

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