Shock Across Pasifika Communities Following Vietnam Killing Allegations

“Because organised crime does not grow in the light. It grows where warning signs are ignored, where communities stay silent, and where vulnerable young people can be pulled toward pathways that change lives forever.” Doris Tufilau 

Social media has erupted across Samoan and wider Pasifika communities following the shocking fatal shooting of an Australian man in Ho Chi Minh City, allegedly carried out by two Samoan nationals.

Many online expressed heartbreak, disbelief and concern for young Pacific people being influenced by criminal networks overseas.

Comments across social media range from shock, to concer, to outrage. 

According to Vietnamese police, the shooting took place on the evening of May 21 outside Cee’f Restaurant in downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

Authorities say two armed suspects approached a group after dinner and opened fire. Australian national Lemalu Lorenzo Tovia, 25, died after being shot twice, while another Australian citizen, Sauni Sam, 27, was critically injured and remains in hospital.

Police allege the suspects were 27-year-old Vaa Vaa, accused of carrying out the shooting, and 23-year-old Tafia Steve, who allegedly acted as an accomplice.

Samoa Global News reported that the two young Samoans were seen off at the airport by their boss from Unalei car rentals. The pair then entered Vietnam on May 14 and spent days monitoring the victims before the attack. Vietnamese authorities also alleged the two men acted under instructions from an overseas individual.

Following a major manhunt using digital surveillance and coordinated police operations, the two suspects were arrested near the Vietnam-Cambodia border less than 72 hours after the killing.

In the most recent update, Vietnamese police have now detained eight local people accused of helping the suspects flee after the shooting, including a transport driver operating between Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Ninh. Authorities say investigations are continuing and more arrests could follow.

For Samoan educator and youth advocate Doris Tufilau, the case has hit especially close to home after revealing one of the accused was someone she had known and worked with..

“This case hits differently when one of the young Samoans involved is someone you’ve known for a long time. Someone connected to spaces where we try every day to build opportunity, belonging, leadership and hope for young people.”

Tufilau said the tragedy should force Samoa into “harder conversations” around fast money, organised crime, recruitment and vulnerable young people seeking belonging or survival.

“We saw Samoa changing. We saw new things appear. Bigger money. Different lifestyles. Different influences. Things that felt unfamiliar,” she wrote.

“But silence is not protection.”

She warned that organised criminal networks thrive “where warning signs are ignored” and said communities must become braver about asking difficult questions before tragedy occurs.

“Our young people matter,” she ended.

With Australian nationals and Samoan suspects involved in the incident, investigations in Ho Chi Minh City remain ongoing as authorities continue gathering evidence and pursuing all individuals connected to the case. Vietnamese police say everyone involved will be dealt with strictly under the law.

Vietnamese information source: Tuoitre News