Brian Jeffrey
Overview of Corruption Cases in Vietnam
The Viet A Corporation scandal involved a significant conspiracy with three key officials: Nguyen Thanh Long, the former Health Minister; Chu Ngoc Anh, the past Minister of Science and Technology; and Pham Xuan Thang, a former Party Secretary from Hai Duong province.
These officials are accused of accepting bribes during the Covid-19 pandemic. The CEO of Viet A Corporation, Phan Quoc Viet, allegedly bribed leaders in the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Health to secure involvement in a government project for developing test kits.
Utilizing fraudulent methods, the accused misrepresented state-owned testing products as their own. This led to mass production and sale of test kits at exorbitant prices, earning substantial illegal profits.
To facilitate the sale of these kits, Viet collaborated with local public health officials to bypass lawful bidding processes and formalities, resulting in further legal violations.
The appellate court determined that Viet paid over VND106 billion in bribes, contributing to a reported loss of over VND1.235 trillion, including a significant VND402 billion loss to the national treasury.
In January 2024, sentences were handed out by the Hanoi People’s Court: Nguyen Thanh Long received 18 years in prison, Chu Ngoc Anh was sentenced to 3 years, and Pham Xuan Thang to 5 years. Post-trial, only Long sought a lighter sentence, which was partially accepted in May 2024, reducing it to 17 years for “receiving bribes”.
Corruption in Saigon Dai Ninh Corporation
The Saigon Dai Ninh Corporation case involved ten defendants, with nine being former state officials, including Mai Tien Dung, the former Government Office chief, and Tran Duc Quan, a former provincial Party Secretary.
These officials were implicated in helping Nguyen Cao Tri, CEO of Saigon Dai Ninh, to modify inspection reports. Following this, on January 20, 2025, sentences were issued: Dung received a 2.5-year suspended sentence, Quan got 5.5 years, Hiep received 6.5 years, and Tri was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
The Government Inspectorate had previously issued Inspection Conclusion No929, calling for the halt of operations and reclaiming the land allocated to Dai Ninh due to management and construction violation concerns. However, after purchasing the project, Tri engaged in bribery to alter the official report, resulting in serious repercussions, including continued project implementation against the agency’s recommendations.
During the investigation, Quan was found to have accepted bribes totaling VND2.1 billion; Tran Van Hiep took VND4.2 billion, while Mai Tien Dung was reported to have accepted VND200 million.
Large-Scale Scandal at Vietnam Register
The Vietnam Register (VR) case is notable for having the highest number of defendants in a single litigation event, with an astounding total of 254 individuals involved.
Two directors were central to this scandal, accepting bribes to ignore violations at vehicle inspection facilities throughout the country. On January 22, the High People’s Court in Ho Chi Minh City sentenced Tran Ky Hinh to 22 years in prison, comprising 17 years for “receiving bribes” and an additional 5 years for “abuse of power”. Meanwhile, Dang Viet Ha was sentenced to 17 years for similar bribery charges.
The court found that Hinh accepted over VND7.164 billion from various department heads in exchange for overlooking inspection issues. Conversely, upon taking over as director, Dang Viet Ha directed staff to maximize their personal financial gain, resulting in him receiving over VND8.5 billion in bribes from subordinates.
