On October 28, the Hanoi People’s Court commenced the first-instance trial of 141 defendants involved in a gambling case at King Club, located on the first floor of the Pullman Hanoi Hotel.
Among the defendants, five individuals—Cho Choon Keun, Shim Hawn Hee, Choi Jin Bok, Phan Trường Giang, and Nguyễn Đình Lâm—were charged with “Organizing Gambling.”
The remaining 136 defendants were prosecuted for “Gambling,” including notable figures such as Hồ Đại Dũng, former Vice Chairman of Phú Thọ Provincial People’s Committee; Ngô Ngọc Đức, former Secretary of the Hòa Bình City Party Committee; Đỗ Anh Tuấn, former Director of the Department of Agricultural, Forestry, and Aquatic Product Quality Management under the Phú Thọ Department of Agriculture and Rural Development; and Nguyễn Xuân Huệ, former Deputy Head of the Department of Education, Culture, and Social Affairs at the Phú Thọ Provincial People’s Committee Office.
(Singer Vũ Hà leaving the court after the morning session – Photo: THÂN HOÀNG/ Tuổi Trẻ Online)
Notably, among the gamblers was Vũ Ngọc Hà (54 years old), identified in the indictment as a singer, and Nguyễn Thế Vũ, also listed as a singer and self-employed businessman.
According to the charges, on April 15, 2022, Vũ Ngọc Hà opened an account under the name “MR BARET,” with ID 101464. On May 18, 2024, he gambled once, playing Slot and Roulette with a total bet of 2,618.16 USD (equivalent to over 63 million VND), resulting in a loss of 199.34 USD.
Additionally, as reported by Tuổi Trẻ Online, another singer, Nguyễn Thế Vũ, was accused of gambling at King Club. He ranked fifth in terms of the amount wagered, just behind former Phú Thọ Vice Chairman Hồ Đại Dũng. His profile listed his profession as a singer and self-employed businessman.
Singer Thế Vũ previously worked with the Military Zone 5 Music and Dance Troupe until 1995, when he left the military and pursued a freelance artistic career. He was arrested for gambling in June 2024 and placed under house arrest in November, as stated in the indictment.
Like other players, Thế Vũ disguised himself under the alias “Mr Troy” to participate in the King Club “casino.”
Over just four months, Thế Vũ gambled 116 times, wagering a total of over 4.3 million USD (more than 112 billion VND). He played electronic reward games such as Slot and Baccarat at King Club. Both games involve placing bets on machine positions and pressing a button to gamble against the machine. The outcome is determined by the wheel’s stopping position, which is then converted into points and subsequently into cash.
According to machine records, Thế Vũ’s largest single bet was nearly 163,000 USD (equivalent to over 3.9 billion VND), with total losses amounting to nearly 82,000 USD (approximately 2 billion VND).
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