On 23/6, Luan, 33, was sentenced to death for murder by the Ho Chi Minh City Family and Juvenile Court. Nguyen Duc Trong, 36, and Nguyen Dinh Phong, 29, received life sentences for their roles as masterminds and instigators.

Five other defendants, including members of Luan and Trong's rival group, received sentences ranging from three years and six months to 12 years for murder, intentional injury, and property damage. One of the defendants was 17 at the time of the crime.

The court found that a minor disagreement over honorifics led Trong to gather his associates and attack the rival group with weapons. Upon learning the rivals had fled into the karaoke bar, Luan and Trong's group stormed the establishment with knives and iron rods, fatally stabbing a male employee and seriously injuring another.

"The actions of Luan and his accomplices were extremely thuggish and showed a disregard for human life, necessitating a severe penalty," the verdict stated.

The defendants hear the verdict. Photo: Binh Nguyen

The defendants hear the verdict. Photo: Binh Nguyen

The indictment stated that Trong and Pham Quoc Anh, 31, knew each other as residents of Ward 11, Binh Thanh District. On the evening of 16/2/2022, Trong drove a friend to a funeral and joined Quoc Anh's group for food and drinks. While drinking beer, an argument erupted because Trong was older than Quoc Anh, yet Quoc Anh used informal language. Angered by Quoc Anh's attitude, Trong called his friends to "resolve the conflict."

Early the next morning, Trong and his friend returned to the funeral and encountered Quoc Anh's group and other unidentified young men in front of a house on Phan Van Tri Street. Quoc Anh's group then attacked Trong's group, forcing them to flee.

Trong called for backup, but Quoc Anh seized his weapon and smashed it on the ground. Quoc Anh's group also injured two of Trong's friends, causing injuries ranging from 2% to 25%.

While being chased, one of Trong's friends ran into the Lucky Star karaoke bar on Phan Van Tri Street. Quoc Anh and his accomplices stormed in with knives, causing panic among the patrons. Quoc Anh's group then left.

After the attack, Trong rode his motorbike home and told Luan and his group about the incident. This group then armed themselves with iron rods, tridents, and knives, seeking revenge for Trong.

Arriving at the karaoke bar, Trong's group demanded to know, "Who hit my brother?". When the karaoke bar manager tried to intervene, he was attacked by Trong's associates.

The bar staff then fought back. A 24-year-old employee was stabbed in the chest and abdomen by Luan and his accomplices, resulting in his death. The manager was also seriously injured but survived.

After the attack, the group fled north in a pickup truck but were apprehended by police in Khanh Hoa.

Binh Nguyen