Police in Ho Chi Minh City said on August 20, 2026 that the city's Criminal Police Division had dismantled a large online betting network that organized and took part in gambling through betting websites, with transactions through bank accounts initially valued at nearly 560 billion dong1.
The division opened a dedicated case in June 2026, and in July 2026 the case board deployed working groups to track down the people managing and running the betting sites, known in Vietnamese as "trang banh," and issuing betting accounts to lower levels and to players1. Police summoned 50 people and seized 50 mobile phones, three laptops and related documents and electronic data1.
Investigators said the network was organized into many groups and intermediary levels. They named Pham Le Dong, Nguyen Hoang Long, Nguyen Van Loi, Do Hoang Thien, Le Hoang Anh Kiet, Doan Chinh Thuan, Ho Van Dung, Nguyen Thanh Nguyen, Pham Van Kiet, Le Phi Hoang and Doan Tan Vu among those who ran, organized or directly gambled1. Accounts were passed down through multiple tiers to widen the player network and complicate detection, and some suspects said they obtained betting accounts from contacts in Cambodia before splitting them among lower levels1. Beyond betting on the websites, many also took private wagers through messaging apps worth tens to hundreds of millions of dong per match1.
The Investigation Police Agency of Ho Chi Minh City police has opened six criminal cases and prosecuted and detained 40 defendants on charges of "organizing gambling" and "gambling"1. Police said they are continuing to build files on the remaining cases1.
"Cơ quan Công an đã triệu tập 50 đối tượng, thu giữ 50 điện thoại di động, 03 máy tính xách tay"
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Transactions through bank accounts (initial) | nearly 560 billion dong |
| People summoned | 50 |
| Mobile phones seized | 50 |
| Laptops seized | 3 |
| Criminal cases opened | 6 |
| Defendants prosecuted and detained | 40 |
What it means for players
Vietnam does not permit the online betting sites described in the case, and the police statement treats both running them and betting on them as offenses carrying prosecution1. The accounts in this network were distributed in tiers and some traced back to contacts in Cambodia, a pattern that also appears in cross-border betting operations covered in the guide to betting sites that take players from Vietnam. Police warned the public not to take part in gambling in any form, whether in person or online, and not to rent, lend, buy or sell bank accounts, phone accounts or electronic devices for others to use in illegal activity1. They also asked organizations and individuals who spot signs of online betting operations or suspicious financial transactions to report them to the nearest police office1. For general background on how such operations work and how to report them, see Gambling Scams and Safety in Asia.
What happens next
The case board said it is continuing to widen the investigation, track down and summon related people, and clarify the source of the betting accounts, the flow of transactions, the role of each person and related contacts for handling under the law1. Police said files on the remaining cases are still being completed1. No further court dates or additional arrests have been reported.
