Police in Binh An commune, An Giang province, arrested Lieu on 6/8 for investigation of property theft.

Huynh Van Lieu at the police station. Photo: Duong Dong

Huynh Van Lieu at the police station. Photo: Duong Dong

Several families had reported the theft of valuable potted bonsai trees. Using collected evidence and security camera footage, police identified Lieu as a suspect due to his frequent nighttime outings.

Lieu confessed to the thefts, targeting valuable bonsai trees in secluded locations. He then hid the uprooted trees in his rented room. Police recovered the trees before Lieu could sell them.

Authorities returned 14 of the recovered bonsai trees to their owners. The remaining trees are yet to be identified.

Bonsai enthusiasts say the value of each tree varies depending on its shape and style, ranging from a few million to tens of millions of Vietnamese dong, or even more.

Ngoc Tai - Duong Dong