As previously reported by VietNamNet, on October 28, the Hanoi People’s Court will bring 141 defendants to trial in the high-profile case involving $106 million in illegal gambling at the Pullman Hotel.

During the investigation, authorities discovered that an individual named Luong Truong Nam had been issued a membership card at King Club under the alias “Mr Porsch” on September 24, 2020.

Between February 26 and April 10, 2024, Nam allegedly gambled six times using the Roulette game. His largest bet amounted to $67,350 (approximately 1.6 billion VND), with a total loss of over 363 million VND (roughly $14,900 USD).

The Ministry of Public Security’s Investigation Department used CCTV footage from King Club to obtain his image and submitted it to the National Population Data Center. However, the man’s identity remains unconfirmed.

On May 17, 2025, defendant Truong Xuan Danh informed investigators that he knew a man named Luong Truong N., a company director, who had also visited King Club to gamble.

Authorities have since investigated this individual but lack sufficient evidence to confirm whether the company director and the man using the alias “Mr Porsch” are the same person. As such, no charges have been filed against him yet.

Authorities also suspect several Vietnamese nationals listed as players at King Club may have participated in gambling activities at Pullman Hotel.

However, due to the lack of CCTV footage or transaction history, investigators have not been able to confirm their involvement.

Two psychiatric patients under scrutiny

Further complicating the case are two Vietnamese individuals diagnosed with mental illness: Nguyen Thi Mai Anh and Le Van Dong.

Evidence shows that Mai Anh opened a membership card under the name “Mrs Rose” on November 22, 2021.

Between February 6 and June 20, 2024, she allegedly gambled 67 times at King Club using Slot and Roulette machines.

Her largest wager was $205,270 (over 4.9 billion VND), and her smallest was $2,150 (over 51 million VND), with total losses exceeding $394,307 (about 9.4 billion VND).

Le Van Dong, who registered under the alias “Mr Bank,” is believed to have opened a gambling card on November 18, 2021.

He allegedly placed 33 bets from February 5 to June 20, 2024, using Slot and Roulette machines. His largest bet reached over $70,231 (more than 1.6 billion VND), with the smallest being $440 (over 10 million VND), and total losses of more than $85,134 (about 2 billion VND).

According to the indictment, Nguyen Thi Mai Anh is a defendant in a case handled by Hanoi police, while Le Van Dong is involved in a separate case under the jurisdiction of the former Thanh Xuan District Police in Hanoi.

At the time of their alleged gambling, both individuals were under compulsory psychiatric treatment at the Central Institute of Forensic Psychiatry, managed by the Ministry of Health.

On April 24, 2025, the Ministry of Public Security’s Investigative Agency ordered a forensic psychiatric evaluation to assess whether the two were aware of and able to control their behavior before, during, and after the gambling activities.

Since the results are still pending, their actions have been temporarily separated from the main case and will be handled later.

Five Vietnamese suspects still at large

Authorities have issued search warrants for five Vietnamese suspects believed to have gambled at the Pullman Hotel.

They are: Do Van Lang (born 1976, in Ho Chi Minh City), Nguyen Xuan Giang (born 1985, from Nghe An), Nguyen Xuan Thinh (born 1971), Nguyen Manh Cuong (born 1980, in Hanoi), and Pham Thi Nhung (born 1970, in Hanoi).

As of now, none of the five have presented themselves to law enforcement, and their current whereabouts are unknown.

The Ministry of Public Security has separated their cases and will proceed according to Inter-Ministerial Circular No. 01/2017.

T. Nhung