CDC Hanoi chief detained over Covid kit test scandal
The Center for Diseases Control Hanoi (CDC Hanoi) chief was detained Friday for wrongdoings in the Covid-19 test kit scam triggered by Viet A Company, following the arrest of CDC leaders nationwide on the same charges.
The Hanoi Police's investigative agency is probing Truong Quang Viet, CDC Hanoi's director, on charges of "violating bidding regulations, causing serious consequences."

Truong Quang Viet, director of CDC Hanoi. Photo courtesy of the city’s administration.
Viet, 49, was appointed to the position in February this year after almost two years as the acting head though he was a deputy director. The appointment came after the director, Nguyen Nhat Cam, was arrested for "inflating the price" of Covid-19 test kits provided by Viet A Company and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
According to Vietnamese authorities, the medical workers assigned in 2020 to bid for purchases of Covid-19 test kits had "connected and colluded" with employees of Viet A to acquire test kits in advance, and completed bidding documents later. The act helped the Vietnamese firm become the unique entity in bidding and be the winner. Viet A then got back to them with bribes.
Initial investigation results show that CDC Hanoi had put product features into the bidding documents to ensure that only Viet A won the bids. The violations caused more than VND9 billion (over $388,000) in damage to the state budget.
The CDC leaders in many provinces and cities nationwide have been accused of "violating bidding regulations, causing serious consequences" in the Viet A scam.
Phan Quoc Viet, CEO of Viet A Company, was arrested in December 2021. He then admitted he had inflated the price of a Covid-19 test kit by 45% and given huge bribes to corporate partners and leaders of provincial and city centers for disease control nationwide, asking them to distribute and use Covid-19 test kits provided by his company.
Lieutenant General To An Xo, chief of staff and spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Security, told a government meeting on Saturday that Viet A earned up to VND4,000 billion ($172.47 million) illicitly, of which VND800 billion was spent on bribes.
- Read More
Investors advised to take profits from stocks having risen sharply
Investors should maintain a balanced stock allocation in their portfolios and consider buying opportunities if the VN-Index retreats to the 1,300-1,320 point range, say market experts.
Finance - Sun, June 1, 2025 | 8:10 pm GMT+7
Shares of Vietnam's leading jewelry maker PNJ jump over 30% ahead of gold inspection report
Shares of Phu Nhuan Jewelry JSC (PNJ), a leading jewelry producer in Vietnam, rallied sharply ahead of the central bank’s Friday release of its gold market inspection findings.
Companies - Sun, June 1, 2025 | 1:14 pm GMT+7
Vietnamese firm takes over 40-year-old Pierre Cardin shoe chain in Thailand
Emall Vietnam, which owns a network of 100 high-end business shoe stores under the Pierre Cardin and Oscar brands in Vietnam, has taken over the entire Pierre Cardin shoe system in Thailand.
Companies - Sun, June 1, 2025 | 10:29 am GMT+7
Southern Vietnam province Ba Ria-Vung Tau okays 53 projects
Ba Ria-Vung Tau authorities on Friday granted in-principle approvals or investment registration certificates for 53 projects, including a green light for a $400 million investment capital hike of the $5.4 billion Long Son Petrochemicals Complex.
Industries - Sun, June 1, 2025 | 8:00 am GMT+7
Who to receive over 97 mln ESOP shares from Vietnam's leading developer Novaland
Novaland, a major real estate developer in Vietnam, will simultaneously implement plans to issue bonus shares and offer ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) shares, with a total issuance rate of 5%, equivalent to more than 97 million units.
Companies - Sat, May 31, 2025 | 11:09 pm GMT+7
Vietnam billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong to contribute 48 mln Vingroup shares to VinSpeed
Billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong has registered to transfer more than 48 million Vingroup (VIC) shares to the newly-established VinSpeed that registered to build the North-South high-speed railway project.
Infrastructure - Sat, May 31, 2025 | 7:14 pm GMT+7
Two investors propose $65 mln wind power project in central Vietnam
A consortium of Quang Tri Renewable Energy Investment JSC and Win Power Holding Pte Ltd, and Nam Binh Wind Power JSC have submitted an application to implement a 48-megawatt wind power plant in the central province of Quang Tri.
Energy - Sat, May 31, 2025 | 3:10 pm GMT+7
Central Vietnam city seeks investors for $209 mln LNG, LPG terminal project
The central city of Danang is calling for investment in an LNG and LPG terminal project worth over VND5.43 trillion ($208.7 million).
Infrastructure - Sat, May 31, 2025 | 10:52 am GMT+7
Thai-backed food giant C.P. Vietnam rejects pork safety accusations
C.P. Vietnam, a subsidiary of Thailand’s food giant Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CPF), has dismissed social media allegations of selling diseased pork, calling them fabricated and false.
Companies - Sat, May 31, 2025 | 8:54 am GMT+7
Oman Investment Authority to expand investment fund in Vietnam
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has proposed Oman to enlarge the Vietnam-Oman Investment Fund (VOI) to $1 billion to better cater for the Southeast Asian country's investment needs.
Economy - Fri, May 30, 2025 | 11:26 pm GMT+7
Japanese retailer Aeon to build 2-hectare mall in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta
Retail giant Aeon will develop a 2-hectare mall in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, with an estimated investment of VND1.16 trillion ($44.6 million).
Industries - Fri, May 30, 2025 | 4:44 pm GMT+7
76% of Vietnamese survey respondents say trade uncertainty encourages them to explore new opportunities: HSBC
Vietnamese businesses have experienced exponentially higher cost increases than the global average and are expecting additional short-term costs due to trade uncertainty. But many survey respondents (76%) think trade uncertainty has encouraged their business to evolve and explore new opportunities, write HSBC analysts.
Consulting - Fri, May 30, 2025 | 2:41 pm GMT+7
Vietnamese firm lands first $1 mln order on Alibaba after 8-year struggle to export
After five months of operating a virtual storefront on Alibaba’s B2B e-commerce platform, Sukavina Co., Ltd., a Binh Duong province-based manufacturer of metal tables, chairs, and beds, secured its first international order, marking a significant milestone in the company’s eight-year journey to global markets.
Companies - Fri, May 30, 2025 | 2:37 pm GMT+7
AgriS partners with IFC: Optimizing environmental and social management system, accelerating net zero 2035 goal
TTC AgriS (Thanh Thanh Cong-Bien Hoa JSC or AgriS) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) - a member of the World Bank Group - has signed an MoU to strengthen sustainable development governance in alignment with global standards.
Companies - Fri, May 30, 2025 | 2:30 pm GMT+7
Vietnam's stock market attractively priced: Finnish fund PYN Elite
Vietnam’s stock market is attractively priced, with a price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 1.3, said Petri Deryng, portfolio manager at Finnish investment fund PYN Elite.
Finance - Fri, May 30, 2025 | 2:09 pm GMT+7
S Korea's SK Group eyes 3 LNG power projects in Vietnam: chairman
SK Group, South Korea’s second-largest chaebol, is exploring several LNG-fueled power projects in Vietnam, including three proposed to be included in the country's green growth project portfolio, said chairman Tae-Won Chey.
Energy - Fri, May 30, 2025 | 1:37 pm GMT+7