THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HA NOI — Police say a gang beat and killed five Vietnamese villagers who were collecting valuable scented wood near the border with Laos.
Officer Nguyen Trong Tai said Thursday that the gang had been demanding a ransom of $700 for each man before they were killed.
The men were seized on Saturday in a remote corner of Quang Binh province. Their bodies were recovered on Tuesday.
The men were gathering agar wood, which is used to make incense, soap and luxury perfumes.
