Armed assailants on Sunday killed and wounded several police officers, officials and civilians at two police headquarters in Vietnam’s central highlands region, authorities said.
Six people were arrested following the shooting in Cu Kuin district, Dak Lak province, according to the official news site of the Ministry of Public Security. Investigators are looking for other suspects.
The attack on the police headquarters of Ea Tieu and Ea Ktur communes occurred in the early hours of Sunday, according to the ministry.
The site says a number of people, including officers, local officials and civilians, were killed and injured, without giving exact figures.
Contacted by AFP, the police could not be immediately reached.
Vietnam’s central highlands, home to many ethnic minorities, are considered a hotspot for the authoritarian government and have long been a hotbed of contestation over issues like land rights.
Some local tribes in the region, known as the Montagnards, sided with the south, backed by the United States during the war that ravaged the country for decades.
Some call for greater autonomy, others advocating the independence of the region.
Several state media outlets withdrew reports of the attack on Sunday, before rebroadcasting them a few hours later.
Gun violence is rare in Vietnam, where it is illegal for citizens to own firearms and the black market for weapons is limited.
In January 2020, four people were shot and killed in illegal cockfighting bets on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City.
