HANOI - A VIETNAMESE gang leader who began life on the streets aged just 11 will die in front of a firing squad after a court sentenced him and three henchmen to death, a report said on Tuesday.

Huynh Van Hoa, 40, who led a murder and robbery gang, was convicted in southern Ho Chi Minh City after a five-day trial, Thanh Nien newspaper reported.

Court officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

In 2005, Hoa used a gun bought in Cambodia to shoot a man dead while robbing him of his motorcycle, the report said.

The following year, another man was shot and killed when Hoa and other gang members tried to rob him of 128 million dong (S$10,656), it said.

Hoa began his life on the streets when his mother committed suicide and his father was jailed. A year later, he was arrested for his first robbery, Thanh Nien reported.

Sixteen other members of his gang were also convicted at the trial, with sentences ranging from probation to life in prison, the report said.

Hoa and his three fellow gang members are the most recent of 21 criminals sentenced to die this year, according to reports compiled by AFP from state media and court officials. -- AFP