Try using DateTime.TryParseExact:
Dim [date] As String = "Fri Jul 11 00:00:00 UTC+0800 2014"
Dim dat As DateTime
If DateTime.TryParseExact([date], "ddd MMM dd HH:mm:ss 'UTC'zzz yyyy", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, DateTimeStyles.None, dat) Then
Console.WriteLine(dat)
End If
By "stringifying" the UTC indicator and adding the "zzz" UTC-plus-offset code it shoudl do what you want.