The 50 suspects face accusations of trafficking, possession, and organizing the illegal use of drugs, among Vietnam’s most serious offenses, with major trafficking convictions punishable by life imprisonment or death.
Officers entered Revo Bar at 15-15A Ly Tu Trong Street in the popular beach town at 1:30 a.m. on April 12, ending weeks of surveillance that had flagged the venue for operating past permitted hours and drawing large nighttime crowds.
Hundreds of guests were inside when the raid began. Rapid testing identified 12 patrons positive for narcotics and 30 more actively using “pod chill,” a vaping liquid that Vietnamese authorities have warned is being sold online as ordinary fruit-flavored liquid but contains cannabis oil or synthetic cannabinoids capable of triggering hallucinations and psychotic episodes.
The Ministry of Public Security’s cybercrime department has flagged pod chill as one of the country’s fastest-growing drug threats. Dealers offer free samples and pay commissions to users who recruit friends, the ministry said, marketing the pods in fruit and candy flavors that make them indistinguishable from legal vape products.
Officers caught Hoang Dinh Toan, a Revo Bar employee, selling drugs at the scene. Statements from Toan and a ketamine-positive patron, Nguyen Kiet Tuong, led investigators to two cannabis suppliers, Nguyen Tien Phat and Truong Tien Phuong Huy, who allegedly distributed not only to Revo but to retail dealers and other bars and cafes across central Vung Tau.
Police raid Revo Bar in Vung Tau and subdue drug-using patrons, April 12, 2026. Video courtesy of Ho Chi Minh City Police
As investigation expanded, police dismantled two larger synthetic-drug rings run by Do Hoang Khanh and Pham Tich Nhan, and arrested Nguyen Thi Tuyet Hong, accused of brokering drug sales and organizing private using parties through social-media groups.
Vung Tau, a coastal weekend getaway long popular with Vietnamese and foreign tourists alike, became a ward of an expanded Ho Chi Minh City when Vietnam restructured its provincial map on July 1, 2025.
Revo Bar, a modern venue with capacity for about 150 guests, drew weekend crowds with EDM and hip-hop sets before the raid shut it down.
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