Joshua Dung-Huu, a U.S. citizen of Vietnamese descent, was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City on February 20, 2025, for defrauding victims out of over VND18 billion ($706,159) by making false promises of “rescuing fishing vessels seized abroad.”
Dung-Huu allegedly operated several companies in Ho Chi Minh City and other southern regions under different names, but he was the true person behind all of them. In October 2020, he convinced three individuals who had nine fishing vessels seized by Indonesian authorities that he could help get their boats back. He claimed to have business connections and officials in Indonesia and charged them VND1 billion for each vessel’s return. The victims paid Dung-Huu over VND9.4 billion, but their vessels were never returned.
Dung-Huu also tricked a company in Ho Chi Minh City during the 2019-2020 period by promising to connect them with a Singaporean company selling gasoline. He successfully swindled them out of over VND6.8 billion. Additionally, he stole VND2 billion from a woman in Ho Chi Minh City, convincing her to lend him money for a business deal.
Dung-Huu now faces charges of property fraud.
