Couple accused of Hanoi acid attack found hiding in Bangkok after more than a year on the run

A Vietnamese couple wanted over a 2025 Hanoi acid attack, in which the husband allegedly posed as a food delivery driver, has been arrested in Bangkok.

Thai immigration police announced on Oct. 10 that they had detained the 46-year-old man and his 44-year-old wife in Bangkok's Huai Khwang District after Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security asked them to track the pair down, Thai daily Matichon reported.

The attack took place at an outdoor restaurant in central Hanoi at around 10 p.m. on July 25, 2025, Thai TV5 HD reported, citing information from Vietnamese authorities.

The woman allegedly lured the victim out to meet her, while her husband, disguised as a food delivery driver, rode up on a motorbike and threw acid on the victim's face and body, causing serious injuries.

The pair then fled the country. Vietnamese authorities believe the attack was planned, with roles divided among those involved, and a third suspect believed to have ordered it remains at large.

Speaking through an interpreter after their arrest, the couple admitted carrying out the attack and said they had been hired by a fellow Vietnamese, broadcaster Channel 7 reported.

Trail leads to Bangkok neighborhood

Immigration investigators traced the couple to Huai Khwang and kept watch on the area until they spotted the pair outside a house on Soi Pracharat Bamphen at around 5 p.m. on Oct. 9, according to Thai TV5 HD.

Police Maj. Gen. Songprod Sirisukha, commander of Thailand's Immigration Division 3, said officers had revoked the couple's permission to stay in Thailand, Matichon reported. Police are working with relevant agencies on the next legal steps and on tracking down the third suspect, he said.

Songprod said the head of Thailand's Immigration Bureau had ordered all units to step up action against foreigners involved in transnational crime and to keep Thailand from becoming a hiding place for lawbreakers.

Thai authorities have not disclosed the motive, the relationship between those involved or the suspects' full identities.