Vietnamese woman, 43, allegedly stabs & kills landlord-boyfriend, 51, outside Ang Mo Kio flat

When the charges were read out to her on Apr. 8, 2025, Nguyen Ngoc Giau, 43, appeared emotionless.

However, she broke down in tears when video footage of the man she had allegedly killed was played.

CNA described Nguyen, a Vietnamese national and Singapore permanent resident, as a “petite woman, with shoulder-length hair and bangs”.

The crime of which she stands accused took place four years ago, in 2021.

A falling out, and the sharpening of a knife

Cho Wang Keung, 51, was a jewellery maker who had been renting out his three-room flat at Blk 562 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3.

Cho had rented out one of the bedrooms to one Tan Cheng Mun.

According to Tan, he had known the deceased for more than four years when he moved in some time in March 2020.

Tan said Cho had then been married to another Vietnamese woman when he moved to the house, though it is not clear if they were still married at the time of his death.

Both the woman and her daughter had moved out of the flat in January 2020, one month before Nguyen moved in as a tenant.

Cho soon became romantically involved with Nguyen, the court heard.

They began sharing a bedroom from October 2020.

Things had, however, started going awry.

Quarrelling

According to Tan, Nguyen had already been quite suspicious of Cho having relationships with other women whenever he went out drinking.

She would check his phone, argue with him, and even hit him, he claimed.

The pair frequently argued, and even took their fights to the void deck, he claimed.

The fights were often purportedly fuelled by alcohol.

Things escalated between Jul. 12 and 13, 2021, when the pair had a serious falling out.

Cho wanted to break up with her, and evict her from his flat.

Sharpening knife

On the night of Jul. 14, Tan and Cho, were at a coffee shop in Bishan.

Cho apparently told Tan that he had tried to break up with Nguyen, but each time he brought it up she demanded a “break-up fee” of between S$5,000 and S$10,000.

Meanwhile on Jul. 14, Nguyen, who was in the flat, began consuming copious quantities of beer, and repeatedly calling Cho but he never answered.

According to the prosecution, Nguyen then went to the kitchen, retrieved a knife, and began to sharpen it.

Alleged stabbing

When both Cho and Tan returned to the common corridor outside the flat at about 12:50am, there was a confrontation between Cho and Nguyen.

During the fight, Tan called the police.

According to the prosecution, Nguyen then went back into the house, grabbed the knife and attacked Cho.

Tan then apparently tried to take photographs of the assault.

When Nguyen saw this, she turned her attention on him, and he fled down the stairs.

At about 1:03am, when the police arrived, both Nguyen and Cho were found in a pool of blood.

While Cho was responsive, Nguyen was unresponsive, and groaning in pain.

The both of them were conveyed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Cho, however, was pronounced dead at 7:17am despite receiving medical attention.

He was found to have died, from stab wounds to the neck, chest and back, according to an autopsy report.

A Jul. 16, 2021 report by the Institute of Mental Health, said that Nguyen was likely in a state of “acute alcohol intoxication” at the time of the incident, and had an alcohol use disorder.

According to CNA, she faces either the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted.

Top photo Shin Min Daily News.