Former Vietnamese Deputy Minister on trial for allegedly accepting over 30 billion VND in bribes

Former Deputy Minister Nguyễn Bá Hoan is facing trial in Hanoi along with eight other former officials from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. They are accused of orchestrating a scheme to extort over 30 billion VND (approximately $1.2 million USD) in "grease money" from companies involved in sending Vietnamese workers abroad.

“

Cựu thứ trưởng Hoan cùng nhiều cựu cán bộ thuộc Bộ LĐ-TB-XH cũ bị đưa ra xét xử trong vụ o ép doanh nghiệp xuất khẩu lao động, nhận 'phí bôi trơn' hơn 30 tỉ đồng.

The trial, which commenced on August 18, 2026, at the Hanoi People's Court, involves a total of 27 defendants. The charges stem from alleged wrongdoings between 2017 and 2025, during the process of appraising and approving applications for labor export contracts. According to the indictment, Hoan and Tống Hải Nam, former Director of the Department of Overseas Labour, allegedly instructed subordinates to deliberately prolong the appraisal process, creating difficulties for businesses and compelling them to pay bribes.

Nguyễn Bá Hoan is accused of receiving the largest share of the bribes, reportedly exceeding 16 billion VND. He is alleged to have been aware of and condoned the illegal procedures implemented by his subordinates to pressure companies. During a search of his workplace, investigators seized a significant amount of cash, including nearly 1 billion VND and over $156,000 USD, totaling approximately 5 billion VND. Hoan has since returned over 15.8 billion VND to mitigate the consequences of the case.

“

Sai phạm của ông Hoan cùng các bị cáo được xác định xảy ra từ năm 2017 - 2025, trong quá trình thẩm định hồ sơ đề nghị cấp giấy phép và phê duyệt cấp phiếu trả lời đăng ký hợp đồng cung ứng lao động đi làm việc tại nước ngoài.

Former Director Tống Hải Nam is accused of directly overseeing the illegal appraisal process and receiving bribes totaling over 14 billion VND, of which he personally benefited by nearly 8 billion VND. Seven other former ministry officials are also implicated, with bribe amounts ranging from at least 164 million VND to over 7.7 billion VND. The trial is scheduled to continue until August 26, with a five-member panel presided over by Judge Lưu Ngọc Cảnh. Representatives from four companies and over 50 individuals with related interests have been summoned to appear.

“

Ông Nam nhiều lần nhận hối lộ và để cán bộ cấp dưới nhận hối lộ với số tiền hơn 14 tỉ đồng, trong đó hưởng lợi gần 8 tỉ đồng.