Five foreign nationals from China, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan (China) have been sentenced to prison for participating in illegal gambling at Lucas Palace Club in Hanoi. They were caught red-handed during high-stakes poker games.

After two days of hearings, on the afternoon of August 15, the Hanoi People’s Court sentenced 63 defendants involved in organizing and participating in gambling at Lucas Palace.

Prosecutors assessed the crimes as socially dangerous, directly undermining public order, cultural norms, and security. Strict punishment was deemed necessary to deter and prevent future violations.

Tran Xuan Minh (born 1990) and Đao Anh Dung (born 1992, Hanoi) each received six years in prison for organizing gambling. Minh was noted as having a criminal record with prior convictions and violations.

Prosecutors said Minh and Dung played leading roles, initiating, organizing, and running large-scale gambling operations over a long period for illegal profits.

The foreign defendants received the following sentences for gambling:

Kim Byung Chul (South Korea): 3 years 6 months in prison
Leem Dong Hyun (South Korea): 30 months in prison
Lee Yi Cheng (China): 24 months in prison
Harada Naoto (Japan): 24 months in prison
Tung Tzu Hsiang (Taiwan, China): 24 months in prison

According to the indictment, Minh and Dung began organizing poker games for profit in late 2021. From March 2022, they promoted Lucas Palace as a gambling venue, managing operations, hiring staff, and paying salaries.

Nguyen Dang Manh was assigned to oversee the club’s daily operations, including staffing, supervising dealers, and monitoring revenue through chips before reporting to Dung.

Between March 2022 and October 15, 2023, Minh and accomplices organized gambling for at least 41 individuals and others, involving more than 2.8 billion VND (about 112,000 USD). They illegally profited the same amount.

On October 15, 2023, police from the Ministry of Public Security raided Lucas Palace at The Belleville project in Yen Hoa Ward, Cau Giay District, catching numerous gamblers in VIP rooms.

In VIP Room 1, police caught Mai Hoang Phuong Trang (born 1996) dealing poker. Gamblers included both Vietnamese and foreigners from Japan, China, and South Korea.

Investigators determined that:

Kim Byung Chul gambled at least 10 times, with bets ranging from 80 million VND (3,200 USD) to 301 million VND (12,000 USD).
Leem Dong Hyun joined six times, with the largest involving 180 million VND (7,200 USD).
Harada Naoto participated three times, with one game involving over 122 million VND (4,900 USD).
Tung Tzu Hsiang played twice, with stakes of 86 million VND (3,400 USD) and over 120 million VND (4,800 USD).
Lee Yi Cheng was caught after wagering 13 million VND (520 USD).

T. Nhung