Da Nang police arrested Nguyen Hoai Tam, 29, for allegedly sticking up a Hue bank earlier this month.

Nguyen Hoai Tam, 29, a man suspected of using a gun to rob a bank in Hue earlier this month. Photo by VnExpress/Quoc Thang

Police say Tam entered a local branch of the Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam (BIDV) on Mai Thuc Loan Street in Hue at around 5.00 pm on December 6 pretending to be a customer.

Police say Mai pulled a gun and told the cashier to hand over the money.

Hearing the noise and commotion, locals rushed to the branch, but the suspect fled on a motorcycle with VND725 million ($31,550).

Bank robberies are rarely reported in Viet Nam.

Police in the southern province of Tay Ninh are currently hunting for 4 suspects in connection with the armed robbery of a gold shop that occurred last Friday afternoon.

Dressed in masks, helmets, gloves and coats, the suspects took two motorcycles to the Kim Phung gold shop in Phuoc Dong Commune, Go Dau District. The 2 getaway drivers remained on the bikes outside while their accomplices entered the shop and used a gun and a pepper spray to subdue the female owner.

Then they smashed her display cabinet and made off with about 10 ounces of gold. The robbers then quickly fled in the direction of Trang Bang District.

(Source: VnExpress/International)