Tran Hoang Nhat Hung, 37, got a life sentence, while Dam Minh Quang, 31, was sentenced to 20 years by the Khanh Hoa People’s Court.

Hung and Quang stole VND4.5 billion ($192,450) from a branch of Vietcombank on the 2 Thang 4 Street in Khanh Hoa Province’s Ninh Hoa Commune, 45 minutes north of the popular resort town Nha Trang, last September.

Hung said he needed the money to pay off debts.

Wearing masks and coats, they threatened guards and bank staff with makeshift guns. After the heist, their motorbike, clothes and other evidence were burned.

Of the VND4.5 billion, Hung gave VND800 million ($34,160) to his wife to pay off debts, and buried the rest in an abandoned house near his place.

The two men were apprehended a day after the robbery as they were having a drink about two kilometers from the crime scene.