The Vietnamese community in Victoria has launched a petition calling for stricter bail laws and laws to combat youth crime after the majority of young people accused over the death of “Good Samaritan” store owner Van Viet Truong were released on bail.
The 60-year-old shop owner died in hospital four days after he tried to help a fellow retail worker and was allegedly set upon by a group of young people on Aug, 1.
The youths were allegedly trying to steal clothes from another shop in the western suburb of Sunshine when Truong tried to intervene.
He was beaten so badly he changed colour and bubbling sounds could be heard coming from his mouth, according to prosecutors. The worker in the clothing store was also assaulted by the group, as was another witness who tried to intervene.
Police arrested three boys aged 12, 13, and 15, and two 14-year-old girls, all of whom were initially charged with a series of assault-related offences, including affray, violent disorder, and intentionally causing serious injury.
Manslaughter was added to the 15-year-old’s charges following Truong’s death, while charges against the 13-year-old boy were dropped.
The eldest boy is accused of dragging the shopkeeper down to the ground, causing a “cracking sound” when his head hit the pavement, the prosecutor said.
The two girls and remaining two boys were granted bail in children’s court on Aug. 7, when it was revealed the boys were already on community release.
The older boy appeared via video link from prison and did not apply for bail.
The change.org petition, established by Maddi Pham, has been shared over 20,000 times and had climbed to over 29,000 signatures when The Epoch Times checked on the morning of Aug. 11, around 10 hours since it was launched.
It quotes a local business owner Kien Huynh, who knew the victim, as saying, “He will not die for nothing, We need change.”
“The Vietnamese community in Victoria are devastated and heartbroken to hear of the brutal attack on a 60-year-old retail worker—a trusted member of our community,” the petition says.
“His devastating injuries led (sic) to death bring a profound sense of injustice and fear to our vibrant area. This heinous act does not just affect him and his family but the whole Vietnamese community in Victoria and everyone who feels safe in our local shops.
“The alleged perpetrators of this vicious crime, a group of youths, have caused irreparable harm. And yet, shockingly, some have been granted bail. This sends a dangerous message that such violent acts can be met with leniency.”
Youth crime in Victoria fell by 6 percent in the year leading to March 2026, according to figures from the Crime Statistics Agency Victoria, marking the first overall drop since before the pandemic.
However, child and youth offenders remain heavily over-represented in high-severity property and violent offences, including over half of all carjackings (57.6 percent) and home invasions (52.6 percent).
Police and researchers cite repeat recidivist offenders, social media-fuelled gang rivalries, key-cloning technology used in vehicle thefts, and underlying economic stressors as amongst the drivers of the trend.
The 2022/23 Victorian Youth Parole Board annual report said 64 percent of Victorian young offenders were victims of abuse, trauma, or neglect as a child.
