Police raid betting and piracy network across multiple provinces

Police in Vietnam carried out simultaneous raids on 26 June 2026 against a network accused of running large-scale online football betting and of violating copyright and related rights, Lao Cai Provincial Police and Ministry of Public Security units said. The raids took place in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Lao Cai, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh, Tay Ninh, Phu Tho and other localities, and 20 people were summoned for questioning¹.

The suspects told investigators they had operated from June 2025 until their arrest, and the total amount transacted for gambling and organizing gambling was put at 850 billion dong¹.

The Lao Cai case was one of several announced in the same period. Investigators charged 85 suspects across two rings, 21 with organizing gambling and 64 with gambling, in a network they said was led by Huynh Le Thanh Long and others². The rings obtained high-level "Master" betting accounts from operators in Cambodia and split them into lower-tier "Agent" and "Member" accounts for bettors using the Bong88.com website, with transactions estimated at more than 3.5 trillion dong (about US$132.6 million) between October 2025 and the time of detection².

Lam Dong Province Police separately broke up a ring operating through the website www.bong88ag.com, arresting five suspects in Lam Dong, An Giang and Ho Chi Minh City, with transactions estimated at 5 billion dong⁴. The suspects said they bought a Master account from an unidentified person on Telegram and resold sub-accounts to players⁴.

The Ministry of Public Security said the operations formed part of a nationwide campaign against football betting and other gambling-related crime during the 2026 FIFA World Cup². In a later warning published on 26 August 2026, the ministry's Criminal Police Department said organizers had "technologized" their operations, using Telegram bots, websites and apps to take bets, manage players and calculate winnings automatically, and said small stake amounts do not mean no prosecution⁵.

What it means for players

Vietnam prohibits most forms of gambling, with limited exceptions such as state-run lotteries and licensed casinos for eligible patrons³. The cases show that the accounts bettors use are typically sub-accounts handed down from higher-tier holders, and that police are tracing the account chain rather than only the people placing bets. In the Ho Chi Minh City case, 64 of the 85 charged suspects face gambling charges, not organizing charges². The ministry's warning states that organizers used automated tools to record bets and settle winnings, so records of individual wagers can exist independently of any meeting between the parties⁵. The ministry also asked businesses such as cafes, restaurants, bars, internet shops and pawnshops not to let their premises, devices or Wi-Fi be used for betting, and not to accept assets from players settling gambling debts⁴. For more on the legal position, see Can I Gamble in Vietnam? and Online Gambling in Asia: The Law for Players in 12 Jurisdictions.

What happens next

Lao Cai Provincial Police said they are continuing to expand the investigation¹. Ho Chi Minh City Police said the investigation continues as officers gather evidence on other people allegedly involved². Lam Dong Province Police said their case is also being expanded⁴. The Ministry of Public Security said its case against Ly Hoang Oanh, Vu Quang Minh and 24 others remains under expanded investigation⁵. No trial dates have been reported.