A 52-year-old man who set fire to a crowded café in Hanoi, killing 11 people in one of Vietnam’s deadliest arson cases in recent memory, is set to face trial next month.
A revenge act that turned into a mass tragedy
Authorities said Cao Van Hung, from Dong Ngac Ward, Hanoi, became enraged after being slapped during an argument at the same café weeks earlier.
On the night of December 18, 2024, Hung returned to the café on Pham Van Dong Street, carrying a plastic can of gasoline worth about VND 150,000 (US$6).
After arguing with staff and demanding to confront the man who had previously hit him, Hung poured the gasoline over the entrance and set the café ablaze.
Fire victims are brought out
Within minutes, flames engulfed the two-story venue, trapping customers and employees inside. Eleven people were killed, including nine patrons and two café workers. The blaze also spread to an adjacent workshop, causing more than VND 2.6 billion (US$100,000) in damages.
Hung suffered burns to his legs as the fire spread to his shoes, but survived and turned himself in at the Ministry of Public Security headquarters shortly afterward.
A long criminal history
Court documents reveal that Hung had multiple prior convictions, including robbery in 1998 and theft in 2005.
He now faces charges of murder and property destruction, both of which carry the death penalty under Vietnamese law.
Trial and public reaction
The Hanoi People’s Court is expected to begin the trial on November 17, nearly a year after the tragedy that horrified the nation.
The case reignited public debate over urban violence, mental health, and Vietnam’s sentencing policies for violent offenders.
“This was not a spontaneous act — it was cold-blooded revenge that wiped out innocent lives,” one local commentator wrote on social media.
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Source: Vietnam Insider