Key facts
- Deputy Health Minister Tran Van Thuan was arrested and detained on bribery charges.
- The investigation involves Viet My Healthcare Investment Joint Stock Company, accused of smuggling and accounting violations.
- Two executives and an accountant from the company were also arrested.
- Tran Van Thuan oversaw medical treatment, hospital development, and international healthcare cooperation.
- Former Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien was previously jailed for mismanagement.
Vietnam's Deputy Health Minister Tran Van Thuan has been arrested and placed in pre-trial detention on allegations of accepting a large bribe. The action is part of an expanding investigation into Viet My Healthcare Investment Joint Stock Company and related entities for alleged accounting violations and smuggling.
Authorities initiated criminal proceedings against Thuan after expanding a case that also led to the arrest of two executives and an accountant from Viet My Medical Investment Joint Stock Company. The company is accused of trading and reselling medical equipment at inflated prices before importing them into Vietnam from Singapore and Hong Kong, and of attempting to illegally import medical equipment.
Before his arrest, Thuan held significant responsibilities within the Ministry of Health, including overseeing medical examination and treatment, the development of new medical techniques, organ donation and transplantation, and directing major hospitals such as Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Duc University Hospital. He was appointed deputy health minister in 2020 and became chairman of the National Medical Council in 2024.
The anti-corruption campaign in Vietnam has intensified under President To Lam, leading to the removal and prosecution of numerous officials and business leaders. Previously, former Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien was sentenced to six years in prison for mismanagement of hospital projects.