(In)famous: Celebrity wannabe in Vietnam robs bank of over $120k in 5 minutes

She wanted fame and fortune. The young woman got her wishes realised — but not in the way she had imagined.

A 24-year-old woman made headlines this week after robbing a bank in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, that saw her making off with 2.1 billion VDN (S$123,000) on Oct 10.

According to the Saigon Times, the woman took a cab to the bank that afternoon.

Wearing a cap, a long-sleeve top and face mask, she walked into the bank, placed a bag on a counter, and threatened to detonate a bomb in the bag if the staff did not put money into it.

After her bag was filled with cash, she made a quick getaway with the taxi waiting outside for her.

The heist was over in five minutes, a witness told VNExpress.

Authorities soon barricaded the scene and dispatched firefighters to respond to the potential bomb threat.

But the bomb threat turned out to be a hoax.

She had put together five small gas bottles, an LED light string, a petroleum bottle and a lighter, and claimed that it was an explosive device.

After making her getaway, she changed her clothing in another location to escape detection, but she was still nabbed three hours later.

According to Vietnamese media, the young woman often joined game shows on television to try to get into the entertainment industry.

But her quest for stardom did not pay off and she lost a lot of money. Faced with mounting debts, the woman then decided to rob a bank, she told the police.

After the arrest, she gained notoriety online as video clips of her previous appearances on TV went viral on YouTube.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfIT9pm8SyI[/embed]

lamminlee@asiaone.com