A Singaporean man was arrested in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday (Feb 2), after a dramatic stand-off with the local law enforcement authorities that lasted over eight hours.

Mr Eng Yong Kit, 41, had allegedly locked his 23-year-old Vietnamese girlfriend in a hotel room after quarrelling with her, according to local newspaper Thanh Nien Daily.

The dispute is understood to be over money.

The police first learnt that Mr Eng was keeping the woman at the hotel in Ho Chi Minh City's District 3 - along Hai Ba Trung Street - at around 1pm, when hotel staff failed to resolve the situation.

After several unsuccessful attempts to convince Mr Eng to cooperate and release the woman, reinforcement was called in.

News outlet Anninh Thudo reported that officials from Singapore's Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City were also called in to help mediate.

A squad of special forces soldiers from the CSCD - the Vietnamese equivalent of a Swat team - finally made their move at 9pm and broke down the hotel room door.

They freed the woman and arrested Mr Eng.

Mr Eng will be charged with illegally detaining a person against his or her will, the police told Thanh Nien Daily.