Over recent months, numerous thefts of automobile parts have occurred in Da Nang’s urban areas including Hai Chau and Thanh Khe districts.  The owners of cars in the city have expressed their worries about this alarming problem. 

In the evening of 9 April, Hai Chau District’s police officers arrested 6 suspects from Cam Le District who were caught stealing car logos in Hai Chau District.  Over 40 logos of many car models, including BMW, Toyota and Mazda, were also seized by the police.  The thieves admitted that they had previously stolen around 80 car logos across the city in order to sell them.  They often flicked out the car logos with screwdrivers either at noon or at midnight.  The stolen logos were then sold for between 100,000 VND and several hundreds of thousands of VND, depending on the brands. 

A car (left) whose logos were stolen

Meanwhile, the Deputy Head of the An Hai Bac Ward Police Station, Captain Tran Van Trung, said that 4 thefts of auto logos and also wing mirrors have been recorded in his ward, often between 3.00am and 4.00am.  He added that the cars whose parts had been stolen were parked on the pavements of local streets, in dark areas, and in front of hotels. 

Captain Trung also noted that wing mirrors of expensive cars like Camry, Fortuner, Lexus and Lacetti are increasingly being targeted because they are worth up to tens of millions of VND per pair.  These stolen auto parts, however, are sold at much lower prices on the grey market.

In particular, some of the stolen logos make their way back to the car showrooms.  Therefore, when someone wants to replace his missing car logo, he might be buying the one that was stolen from him.

To deal with the problem, local police officers have stressed the need for cars owners to be cautious about the possibility of auto part thefts.  They suggest that owners should park their vehicles in safe places or have them minded carefully.  In addition, special attention should be paid to ensuring the safety of cars which are parked overnight at local hotels.