On September 17, Da Nang police reported the successful rescue of two Chinese citizens who had been unlawfully held and beaten after losing large sums of money gambling at a casino in the area.

Earlier, the city’s Criminal Investigation Department received a report from Wang Daodong, a Chinese national, stating that his friend, W.X. (born 1989, also a Chinese national), had been abducted from H.A. Casino in Duy Nghia commune, Da Nang, by a group of unknown individuals.

Believing it to be an unlawful detention case, the police initiated an investigation and tracked W.X. to an apartment in Hoi An ward.

A raid on the apartment led to the discovery of five suspects detaining W.X. They were identified as Jiu Jun (born 1979, Chinese national), Le Van Khuyen (born 1989), Do Xuan Duc (born 1990, both from Thanh Hoa), Tran Trung Nguyen (born 2000, from Quang Tri), and Hoang Van Quan (born 2001, from Thanh Hoa).

During the operation, the authorities also rescued another victim, L.Y.Z. (born 1984, Chinese national), who was similarly being held captive.

According to W.X., he entered Vietnam on September 11 and went to Da Nang specifically to gamble. A friend had given him casino chips worth 100,000 yuan (approximately USD 13,800) to play, for which he was made to sign a debt agreement.

By the morning of September 12, W.X. had lost all the chips and was coerced into signing two more debt notes totaling 300,000 yuan (over USD 41,300). Unable to repay the debt, he was taken to another apartment where he was assaulted and forced to call his family for money. The abuse resulted in a broken lower molar.

L.Y.Z. reported that he had entered Vietnam in late August 2025 to gamble at the same H.A. Casino. He received 300,000 yuan worth of chips and was compelled to sign a debt agreement for 500,000 yuan (approximately USD 68,800).

After losing all his chips on August 26, L.Y.Z. was intercepted outside the casino by two men who forced him into a car and brought him to the apartment in Hoi An. There, his phone was confiscated, and he was beaten and threatened. The suspects demanded he call his family to pay off the debt. He was told that if the debt was not repaid promptly, an exorbitant interest rate of 20,000 yuan (around USD 2,750) per day would be applied.

The five suspects involved in the illegal detentions are currently in custody as police continue their investigation and expand the case.

Ha Nam