Nguyen Thi Hong Bich was convicted in Dong Nai Province of poisoning four relatives with cyanide, killing three — including two children — and attempting to kill a fourth. Judges sentenced her to death for murder and added a 15-year term for illegal handling of toxic substances. Prosecutors say the poisonings, allegedly motivated by family and financial disputes, occurred over nearly two years and were exposed when a teenage victim survived and doctors found cyanide. Forensic evidence was inconclusive for some earlier deaths discussed at trial.
Vietnamese Woman Sentenced to Death After Cyanide Poisonings That Killed Three Relatives, Including Two Children
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A Vietnamese court has sentenced Nguyen Thi Hong Bich to death after a first-instance conviction for poisoning four family members with cyanide, killing three of them — including two children — and attempting to kill a fourth, several Vietnamese news outlets reported.
Verdict and Charges
The Dong Nai Provincial People’s Court found Bich guilty of murder and of illegally possessing, transporting and using toxic substances. Judges handed down a death sentence on the murder charge and an additional 15-year prison term for the toxic-substances offense; the combined punishment is death, according to reporting by VnExpress, Tuổi Trẻ, Người Lao Động and Công An Nhân Dân.
How Investigators Say the Poisonings Occurred
Prosecutors said Bich purchased cyanide after contemplating suicide and told sellers she needed the chemical for "gold washing." Authorities allege she used cyanide repeatedly over nearly two years, tampering with medications and beverages given to relatives.
Court documents cited by VnExpress say prosecutors allege the first tampering occurred on Jan. 5, 2023, when Bich emptied a capsule her husband, Nguyen Thoai Thanh The, took for stomach pain and replaced its contents with cyanide. The husband later died in October 2023; family members reportedly did not immediately suspect foul play.
Prosecutors also say Bich took out life insurance on her husband and children years earlier and received about 500 million VND (roughly $20,000) after her husband’s death, VnExpress reported. Investigators told the court there is no definitive evidence that cyanide caused two other deaths discussed at trial, and forensic findings in those cases were inconclusive.
Children Targeted, Case Unraveled by Surviving Teen
The probe widened amid reported family disputes and money tensions. Prosecutors allege Bich poisoned a niece and two nephews out of hatred tied to conflicts with siblings rather than personal animosity toward the children themselves.
According to Vietnamese outlets, on Jan. 1, 2024, Bich is accused of lacing a drink given to a young child relative with cyanide; that child later died. On May 25, 2024, she allegedly poisoned another child by adding cyanide to a bottled drink; the boy later died despite emergency treatment. In June 2024, a teenage relative collapsed after consuming a poisoned drink but survived; doctors found cyanide in the teen’s stomach and alerted authorities.
That hospitalization exposed the pattern of poisonings and triggered a criminal investigation that led to Bich’s arrest. Tuổi Trẻ reported that judges concluded the teenager survived by chance rather than because Bich abandoned her plan.
Final Moments in Court
At her sentencing, Bich reportedly wept, bowed her head and apologized to surviving relatives, asking for forgiveness, the outlets said.
Reporting on the case was drawn from Vietnamese media including VnExpress, Tuổi Trẻ, Người Lao Động and Công An Nhân Dân, and summarized accounts published in English-language outlets.
