Five arrested for kidnap of Vietnamese-Australia
Updated
Vietnam's state media is reporting five men have been arrested in Ho Chi Minh city for allegedly kidnapping a Vietnamese-Australian man.
Southeast Asia correspondent Karen Percy reports that 33-year-old Tran Ngoc was allegedly kidnapped on June 22 and taken to a hotel in the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh city, where he was held for two days.
The kidnappers allegedly demanded $US42,000 from Mr Tran's family to pay off a business debt.
Local news agencies say the family paid about a third of that in gold and cash.
Mr Tran went to the police when he was released.
Mr Tran is the director of a construction company operating in Vietnam and has been in the country since 2003.
Local reports say the men who've been arrested have previous convictions for robbery.
