Police in Vietnam's Ha Tinh province said on 29 June 2026 that they had dismantled a transnational online gambling and money laundering operation, arresting, searching and summoning 36 suspects across Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Ha Tinh, Lam Dong and Da Nang1. The force said the network was led and directly run inside Vietnam by five people holding Taiwan (China) nationality1.
The investigation covered activity from April 2026 until the takedown1. The accounts were opened in the names of recruited Vietnamese people, using their personal information at multiple credit institutions, and holders were told not to use a phone number matching the bank account details to avoid detection1. Police said the network laundered money for online gambling both inside and outside Vietnamese territory1.
The five alleged leaders were named as Chang Chia hsien (born 1995), described as the organizer; Yu Li hao (born 1998); Pan Kun yen (born 1992); Hsueh Wei chung (born 1994); and Lin Huy mei (born 2001), described as managing and paying staff1. All were said to reside in Taiwan (China)1. Nguyen Dinh Giap (born 1984, from An Chau commune, Nghe An province) was named as the interpreter in the network1.
Police said the group rented premises in three apartment complexes in Thủ Dầu Một and Chánh Hưng wards in Ho Chi Minh City, where the five Taiwanese suspects directly managed Vietnamese employees1. To evade detection, the foreign suspects changed locations and rotated all staff roughly every two months1. During searches, police seized 56 personal mobile phones, 266 phones used for the offenses, three computers and related documents and evidence1.
"Ban Chuyên án đã huy động cán bộ, chiến sĩ đồng loạt tổ chức bắt giữ, khám xét, triệu tập 36 đối tượng hoạt động tại nhiều địa phương gồm TP. Hồ Chí Minh, Hà Nội, Hà Tĩnh, Lâm Đồng và Đà Nẵng"
The investigation was led by the provincial police criminal police division with Thủ Dầu Một and Chánh Hưng ward police in Ho Chi Minh City, Lam Dong provincial police and the immigration department of the Ministry of Public Security1.
What it means for players
The case concerns money laundering for online gambling rather than a betting site itself, but it shows how funds move through Vietnam. Police said the accounts were opened in the names of recruited Vietnamese people, so a person whose details are used this way can end up tied to a criminal case even without placing a bet. The network handled money for gambling both inside and outside Vietnam1, which is relevant to anyone using offshore sites that route payments through local accounts. Vietnam's rules on online gambling and the risks of unlicensed sites are set out in Online Gambling in Asia: The Law for Players in 12 Jurisdictions and Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions. For players caught up in a site that will not pay or that turns out to be fraudulent, When an Online Gambling Site Won't Pay Out: What Players Can Do and Fake and Rigged Online Casinos: How Scam Gambling Sites Work cover the practical steps. Arrests of players in the region are tracked in Have Players Been Arrested for Online Gambling in Asia? Cases by Jurisdiction.
What happens next
Ha Tinh police said the investigation police agency has issued a decision to prosecute the case and the suspects for the offenses of "Gambling" and "Money Laundering" to serve the investigation1. No trial date, further arrests or asset recovery figures have been reported.
