Lao Cai authorities prosecute illegal entry ring

Authorities in Lao Cai have initiated a criminal case regarding the organization of illegal entry into Vietnam. The Lao Cai International Border Gate Border Guard Post issued a decision to prosecute the crime of ‘organizing for others to enter Vietnam illegally’ and has transferred the case files to the Lao Cai Provincial Police Security Investigation Agency.

The investigation involves four suspects and three Chinese nationals: Dai Henglong, Li Hao, and Zhou Yan. The three Chinese citizens, who previously worked as laborers or freelance traders in Cambodia, had become stranded there following the 2019 pandemic and subsequent visa expirations.

To return to China, the group utilized brokers on social media platforms such as Telegram and WeChat, paying between $1,550 and $5,000 to enter Vietnam illegally. The group traveled from Cambodia through various locations in Vietnam, including Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hanoi, before reaching Lao Cai. The group was apprehended by border guards while attempting to climb a protective fence into the isolation area of the Lao Cai International Border Gate in an effort to formalize their illegal entry through visa procedures.