The fire occurs at a coffee shop on Pham Van Dong Street on the evening of December 18.
Hanoi Police said that the incident occurred at a three-storey coffee shop on Pham Van Dong Street in Bac Tu Liem District at 11 pm on December 18 when the man poured petrol onto the ground floor and set it alight.
There were around a dozen people inside the cafe at that time. The fire quickly spread upstairs, where many people gathered to call for help on the balconies.
Firefighters arrived at the site after some 10 minutes when the fire spread to a mechanical workshop next door and some motorbikes on the pavement.
Rescuers managed to save seven people from the balcony of the third floor. Two of them suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospital.
The Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, Bui Thi Minh Hoai, and the Director of the Hanoi Police Department, Nguyen Hai Trung, also arrived at the site to direct rescue work.
Secretary of Hanoi Party Committee, Bui Thi Minh Hoai (centre) arrives at the site to direct rescue work.
The fire was controlled at around midnight, and 11 bodies were found in the debris.
The coffee shop, the mechanical workshop, and five motorbikes on the street had been burnt down, destroying a lot of furniture.
Following initial investigations, Hanoi Police detained the man at around 1 am on December 19. The man admitted to the police that he bought a can of petrol and set fire to the cafe after having a quarrel with a staff member there on the evening of December 18.
The man has been charged with manslaughter. He has a criminal record with two previous convictions for robbery and theft.