Officers from the Khanh Hoa provincial criminal police raided the GDC Lucky Club in the basement of the Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa late on March 1, catching 13 foreigners playing poker for money. Authorities seized US$3,500 in cash and documents related to the operation.
The club is registered as an electronic prize-winning game venue, with Ha Woang Minh Hoa, 30, of Ho Chi Minh City listed as its legal representative. Police said players would exchange cash for chips at the club’s cashier desk or deposit U.S. dollars directly into gaming machines. The house collected a percentage commission on all wagers.
Khanh Hoa police are investigating the roles of those involved.
The raid marks the second time authorities have uncovered illegal gambling in the same hotel basement. On April 15, 2023, police stormed the former GameClub Lucky venue in the Sheraton’s basement and caught 27 people, including multiple foreigners, playing baccarat, roulette, blackjack and other card games for cash.
That operation, which ran from March 7 to April 15, 2023, generated more than VND52.6 billion ($2.07 million) in illicit revenue, according to prosecutors. Officers seized approximately $109,600 at the scene and nearly $400,000 more from the office of Shin Jae Ho, a South Korean national who managed the venue’s operations.
The 2023 case went to trial on Feb. 11, 2025. South Korean national Jo Wansu, identified as the ringleader, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison. He and co-defendant Ngo Van Chuyen, a Vietnamese businessman, were ordered to return more than VND42 billion and $30,000 in illegal profits.
Shin, Thoong Tau Vay of Dong Nai Province and 14 other employees, including cashiers, dealers and security staff, were also convicted of organizing gambling. The court ordered all foreign defendants deported after completing their sentences.
It remains unclear whether the newly raided GDC Lucky Club has any connection to the previous GameClub Lucky operation. Police have not disclosed the nationalities of the 13 gamblers detained in the March 1 raid.
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