Da Nang police told local media on Sunday that they had worked with the Ministry of Public Security to deport the Chinese group. Local authorities handed over the deportees to Chinese police at Mong Cai border gate the previous night.

On Thursday morning, six rented properties in different districts in Da Nang were raided on suspicions of illegal activities and 35 Chinese nationals and their Vietnamese employees were detained

The Chinese group told the police that they were part of an organization in China and received orders to build a transnational ring to organize online gambling in order to avoid detection by Chinese authorities.

Vietnam has relaxed its stance on gambling as a "social evil," legalizing sports betting in 2017 and allowing people aged over 21 with a monthly income of at least VND10 million ($445) to play in a casino in the southern Phu Quoc Island on a pilot basis. But online gambling remains illegal.