1.2 billion dong divorce case: Court confirms plaintiff 'summoned by police'

A high-stakes divorce case in Ho Chi Minh City, involving assets estimated at over 1,200 billion Vietnamese dong (approximately $50 million), has been temporarily halted. The People's Court of Region 5 has suspended the proceedings to investigate claims that the plaintiff, identified as H.N.T.T., the owner of a cosmetic dental clinic, was summoned for questioning by the police.

The court's decision came after the plaintiff and his lawyer were absent from the hearing on May 29 without explanation. Simultaneously, information emerged suggesting H.N.T.T. had been called in by law enforcement. The court aims to clarify the plaintiff's legal status and determine if any disputed assets are connected to an ongoing police investigation.

According to court documents, the couple married in March 2015 after more than a decade together. Initially, the plaintiff filed for divorce, proposing a private division of assets. However, in 2024, he shifted his claim to seeking an annulment of the marriage, alleging irregularities in their marriage certificate, such as mismatched signatures and improper signing procedures. He offered his wife 20% of the assets for a swift resolution.

Conversely, the defendant, identified as N.T.N.A., contests the annulment, asserting the marriage was legally valid and that she did not deceive her husband. She is seeking a divorce and the division of substantial assets, including numerous properties across Vietnam, tens of billions of dong in bank deposits, and the value of the dental clinic business, along with profits accumulated over the past decade. Evidence of recently discovered properties was submitted during the procedural phase.

This case follows a previous hearing on May 12 and 13, which was also adjourned. During the adjournment, on May 22, authorities reportedly visited multiple facilities belonging to the plaintiff's dental clinic chain in official vehicles.