Former deputy foreign minister admits receiving nearly $1 mln in bribes for repatriation flights
Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs To Anh Dung has admitted to receiving 37 bribes worth a total of VND21.5 billion ($908,000) in relation to 327 "rescue flights" that brought Vietnamese citizens home from overseas during the Covid-19 pandemic.

To Anh Dung was escorted to the court by police on July 12, 2023. Photo courtesy of Youth newspaper.
Dung, 59, was the first person to be questioned on Wednesday afternoon, the second day of the trial of the notorious "rescue flight" scam. He is one of eight former Foreign Ministry officials charged with taking bribes.
The former deputy minister confessed that during the stressful time of the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for Vietnamese citizens to return home was very high and many businesses needed to organize flights, but there were procedural hiccups along the way.
In the spirit of "listening and understanding difficulties of companies to guide and assess their capability" before licensing, Dung said he had agreed to meet them in his office.
The meetings were not aimed at setting conditions for them, he claimed. "There was no scheme or intention to demand [money] or cause any difficulties to the companies," Dung told the judges.
Head of the judicial panel Vu Quang Huy quoted testimonies that showed 13 companies had given bribes to Dung. He repeatedly nodded to admit receiving bribes each time the judge asked: "Is that right?".
The former deputy minister said that all the money was received after the flights were completed, when company representatives came to "thank him". He met them again to "listen, learn from experience, and receive gifts but did not demand them to do so".
"My apologies to the jury. At that time I did not realize that I was wrong, nor did I think I had done anything wrong in terms of executing the policy. I did not abuse my position to cause difficulties for anyone, but tried to create favorable conditions for them."
Dung committed to remedy the consequences. Prior to the trial date, his family had handed over more than VND16 billion ($676,000) to authorities.
Investigators said that taking advantage of the flights to "rescue" Vietnamese citizens from abroad during the pandemic, many ministerial officials colluded with businesses to reap hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars illicitly.
After the pandemic broke out, Vietnam organized about 2,000 repatriation flights to bring home citizens from overseas, according to a spokesman from the Ministry of Public Security.
When tickets for the flights were released, many people complained they were very expensive and that thye had go through cumbersome procedures.
Cases of giving, receiving and brokering bribes and fraudulently appropriating property when organizing rescue flights have been identified at the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Public Security, Health, and Transport, Government Office, Hanoi People's Committee, and related units.
- Read More
From loss to profit: steel maker SMC sees stock rally, avoids delisting risk
Vietnamese steel manufacturer SMC Trading Investment JSC (HoSE: SMC) has seen its stock price soar nearly 60% since early April after the company turned its 2024 loss into profit over bad debt provision reduction.
Companies - Tue, April 29, 2025 | 3:45 pm GMT+7
Dairy giant TH plans $234 mln factory in southern Vietnam
A subsidiary of Vietnam’s dairy giant TH true MILK plans to develop a VND6.07 trillion ($234 million) factory in the southern province of Binh Duong.
Companies - Tue, April 29, 2025 | 3:19 pm GMT+7
Int’l organizations lower Indonesia’s 2025 economic growth forecast
Several international organizations in April revised their economic growth forecasts for Indonesia, reflecting concerns over escalating global trade tensions and domestic fiscal challenges.
Southeast Asia - Tue, April 29, 2025 | 2:30 pm GMT+7
Indonesia eyes more partnership with Vietnam in Halal-certified production, cosmetics
Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country, is eager to share its expertise in Halal standards and looks forward to collaborating with Vietnam in sectors such as food processing, cosmetics, tourism, and Halal financial services, said Agustaviano Sofjan, consul general of Indonesia in Ho Chi Minh City.
Companies - Tue, April 29, 2025 | 1:34 pm GMT+7
MSG producer Vedan Vietnam’s 2024 revenue drops 4% to $166 mln
Food seasoning maker Vedan recorded a revenue of $166 million in Vietnam last year, down 4% year-on-year, according to the 2024 performance review of the Taiwan-headquartered firm.
Companies - Tue, April 29, 2025 | 11:45 am GMT+7
Vietnam, Japan firms sign deals to develop innovation cooperation ecosystem
Businesses from Vietnam and Japan signed numerous MoUs aimed at developing a cooperation ecosystem in innovation and high-tech industries on the sidelines of a forum in Hanoi on Monday.
Economy - Tue, April 29, 2025 | 11:31 am GMT+7
Vietnam’s VPBank targets 35% annual credit growth over next 5 years
Vietnam’s leading private lender VPBank expects to post annual credit growth of 35% over the next five years after taking over weaker lender GPBank, said VPBank chairman Ngo Chi Dung.
Banking - Tue, April 29, 2025 | 8:17 am GMT+7
Japan seeks to implement 15 energy projects worth over $20 bln in Vietnam
Japan wants to execute 15 projects worth over $20 billion in Vietnam's energy transition field, said Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru.
Economy - Mon, April 28, 2025 | 11:07 pm GMT+7
Malaysia highlights roles of ASEAN, BRICS in regional cooperation
Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan is scheduled to deliver a speech at a dedicated session themed “The Role of the Global South in Reinforcing Multilateralism,” held as part of the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from April 28-29.
Southeast Asia - Mon, April 28, 2025 | 10:10 pm GMT+7
Singapore negotiates for US concessions on pharmaceuticals, chips
Singapore is negotiating concessions for pharmaceutical exports to the U.S. while ensuring it still has access to high-end AI chips from the American market, said Singaporean Trade and Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong.
Southeast Asia - Mon, April 28, 2025 | 10:03 pm GMT+7
Vietnam’s leading IP builder Idico applies for major bourse listing, targets $100 mln pre-tax profit
Idico Corporation, a major industrial park developer in Vietnam, has applied for listing its shares on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) and kept its 2025 business plan unchanged with a pre-tax profit target of VND2.6 trillion ($100 million).
Companies - Mon, April 28, 2025 | 9:53 pm GMT+7
Property giant Sun Group commences work on $1.35 bln spiritual tourism complex in central Vietnam
Sun Group, Vietnam's leading real estate developer, on Saturday broke ground on its Am Tien spiritual and historical tourism complex project in the central province of Thanh Hoa.
Real Estate - Mon, April 28, 2025 | 9:30 pm GMT+7
Vietnam's SHB bank records 'fastest growth in customer satisfaction' for 2 straight years
In the Bank Satisfaction Rankings 2025, Saigon-Hanoi Bank (SHB) not only makes it to the top 10 but also stands out as the bank with fastest growth in customer satisfaction for two consecutive years.
Companies - Mon, April 28, 2025 | 4:19 pm GMT+7
India's KCP Limited to inject extra $60 mln into sugar, biomass power plants in south-central Vietnam
Indian-invested KCP Vietnam Industries Limited has proposed raising the capacity of its Son Hoa sugar plant to 15,000 tons of sugarcane per day and deploying the 45 MW second phase of its 75 MW KCP Phu Yen biomass power plant, both in Phu Yen province.
Industries - Mon, April 28, 2025 | 3:35 pm GMT+7
Central Vietnam hub Danang eyes country's 'first urban complex on the sea'
The central city of Danang is studying an urban complex project on Da Nang Bay, with five floating islands - home to an international service, commercial and financial center complex.
Real Estate - Mon, April 28, 2025 | 1:49 pm GMT+7
Private equity firm Creador acquires 13% of Vietnam’s Long Chau pharmacy chain
Creador Sdn. Bhd., a private equity firm headquartered in Malaysia, has acquired a 13% stake in FPT Long Chau Investment JSC, one of Vietnam’s largest pharmacy chains and a subsidiary of retail major FPT Retail.
Companies - Mon, April 28, 2025 | 12:00 pm GMT+7