The latter half of the incident was captured in a video and caused a public outcry after it spread online.
According to VnExpress, on November 23, a group of three men, including Pham Huu An (28), Le Van Nhi (41) and Le Trung Dung (34), went to Tho Xuan Airport in Thanh Hoa Province to see off a friend who was flying to Saigon. The group asked Le Thi Giang, a VietJet Air employee, to take a group photo for them, to which she agreed.
The group then asked her to join them for a group selfie. Giang declined, saying she was on duty. According to other footage, the three men then became aggressive, slapping and punching her. The incident soon escalated into more violence as the gang continued to attack two other female employees who had intervened, punching one and hitting another on her head with a phone.
Video via YouTube user Hoang Tiger TV.
Another flight attendant stepped in and was slapped and then kicked to the ground, an incident which was shown in the viral video. An eyewitness who was filming the attack was also threatened and chased, as nearby airport officers were slapped and punched while attempting to detain the attackers.
The violence finally ended after airport security officials stopped the gang and took them to a local police station.
On Sunday, the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam issued a one-year flight ban for the three men and asked the police to begin a criminal investigation against them. Tho Xuan police have since decided to charge the gang for disturbance of public order.
