The latest case took place on the evening of June 20 in Viet Yen Ward, Bac Ninh Province, leaving five people dead or injured. According to preliminary investigators, Nguyen Van Tuyen, born in 1990, attacked several members of the family of N.T.N., born in 1995, following a relationship conflict before taking his own life.

The attack left N.T.N., her two children, born in 2016 and 2020, and Tuyen dead. A girl born in 2011, the adopted daughter of N.'s father, was injured and remains under medical treatment.

Earlier cases reveal a similar pattern.

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The house where the fatal attack occurred in Bac Ninh Province. Photo: CACC.

In Gia Lai Province, a jealousy-fuelled attack on October 18, 2025 left four people dead or injured. Nguyen Anh Duy, born in 2001, allegedly brought petrol to a spa owned by his lover, T.T.T.N., born in 1994, in An Khe Ward before setting the premises on fire.

The woman died at the scene. N.B.C., born in 1992 and the victim's former husband, later died from his injuries. Their child, born in 2020, suffered severe burns, while Duy was injured.

Authorities later charged and detained Duy on a murder charge.

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The scene of the petrol attack in Gia Lai Province that left four people dead or injured. Photo: Tran Hoan.

Another case in 2025 shocked the public in Phu Tho Province.

At around 8:10pm on September 26, 2025, Vu Phuong Nhung allegedly stabbed Nguyen Van N., born in 1988, and Cao Thi Y., born in 1995 and Nhung's wife, on a road within the Phu Ha Industrial Park area in Phong Chau Ward. Both victims died at the scene.

After the attack, Nhung reportedly travelled to the home of Nguyen Tien D., born in 1985, in Van Phu Ward and fatally stabbed him. He was arrested by police the following day.

Long-term resentment, jealousy and revenge

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The scene where Vu Phuong Nhung fatally attacked Nguyen Van N. and Cao Thi Y. Photo: N.S.

From a legal perspective, lawyer Diep Nang Binh, head of Tinh Thong Luat Law Office in Ho Chi Minh City, said these cases represent particularly serious murders that demonstrate an extremely high level of danger to society.

A common characteristic, he noted, is that offenders often accumulate resentment, jealousy or a desire for revenge over an extended period. When they can no longer control their emotions, they resort to violence to resolve personal conflicts.

Many cases show evidence of preparation, including the selection of weapons, timing and locations. Some offenders even planned attacks against multiple victims, reflecting direct intent and determination to carry out the crime.

Under Vietnam's Penal Code, murders involving two or more victims, children, acts of hooliganism or what the law defines as despicable motives are considered aggravating circumstances and can carry the maximum penalties of life imprisonment or death.

Where an offender dies by suicide after committing the crime, criminal liability ends under the law. However, this does not diminish the gravity of the act itself.

According to Binh, many offenders come to view spouses, partners or people connected to them as the source of their personal grievances and seek revenge through violence.

Such thinking is extreme and represents a serious violation of both the law and social morality, he said. No relationship conflict can justify taking another person's life.

The recent cases also underscore the need to identify warning signs at an early stage, including domestic violence, threats, harassment, obsessive jealousy and explicit threats to kill.

When such signs emerge, victims and their relatives should proactively report them to authorities so that preventive measures can be taken before situations escalate into irreversible tragedies.

The legal consequences of these crimes are severe. Yet the greatest tragedy remains the lives lost and the lasting pain inflicted on families because of conflicts that, in many cases, could have been addressed through dialogue and lawful means.

Tien Dung