Nguyen Van Hau, from Chau Thanh district in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang, was poisoned shortly after he had won a big lottery as his partner, Nguyen Thi Ngan (50) was not happy with the small share allotted to her.

Hau, a widower, had been living with Ngan, a divorced woman, as husband and wife for more than a year.

Hau and Ngan both have children who have grown up and have their own families. In order not to disturb them, the two built and cohabited in a cottage in the backyard.

When living together, Ngan often complained that Hau only cared about his kids and was into gambling and drinking.

A month ago, Hau won a lottery of VND100 million (US$4800), but only gave Ngan a little bit of the money and let his children have the rest.

Ngan got mad, fought with him and left the house for several days.

On June 29, Ngan came back with an intention to poison him. She put an anti-insect chemical into a dish of prawns and placed it in the kitchen.

Later, Hau came back home drunk and ate alone. After having a few bites, Hau found a strange taste and went to rest. After 20 minutes, he became dizzy and breathless and started to shout for help from his kids.

After taking him to the hospital, Hau’s children also reported the case to police as they found a strange smell in his dish.

From the investigation, police found the chemical in the food and ordered the arrest of Ngan on July 3. At the station, Ngan admitted she committed the crime as she was at odds with him on money and love.