Viet A loses labor medal over Covid test kit scam
The State President on Thursday abolished his decision to award a third-class Labor Medal to Viet A Company due to its "serious violations of the law, causing public outcry".
In February 2020, amid the Covid-10 outbreak surge, the Ministry of Science and Technology approved a national project to research and manufacture RT-PCR and real-time RT-PCR biological kits to detect new coronavirus strains, to be implemented by Military Medical Academy.
Of the 17 project members, 14 were Military Medical Academy staff and four from Viet A Company.
A month later, the Covid-19 test kit of Viet A was licensed by the Ministry of Health for temporary circulation, and was officially circulated in December 2020.
Many individuals and groups were then awarded. Viet A Company received a third-class Labor Medal in March 2021. There are three Labor Medal levels, with third-class the lowest. Viet A test kits were since provided to many cities and provinces across the country.
Phan Quoc Viet, CEO of Viet A Company. Photo courtesy of the company.
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 (CDC) 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 in early June that Viet A earned up to VND4,000 billion ($172.47 million) illicitly, of which VND800 billion was spent on bribes.
Many officials have been arrested for violations related to Viet A. Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long on June 7 was dismissed from his position for his involvement in the Viet A Covid test kit scam after being expelled from the Communist Party a day before.
Truong Quang Viet, Center for Diseases Control Hanoi (CDC Hanoi) chief, was detained on June 10 for wrongdoings in the scam, following the arrest of CDC leaders nationwide on the same charges.
- Related News
- Read More
BRICS – new key export market of Indonesia
Indonesia’s non-oil and gas exports to the five major BRICS nations reached $84.37 billion in 2024, accounting for nearly 34% of the country’s total non-oil and gas export value, according to the country’s Central Statistics Agency (BPS).
Southeast Asia - Fri, January 17, 2025 | 9:54 pm GMT+7
Vietnam refinery operator BSR hits $2.6 bln valuation in bourse debut
Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical JSC, the operator of Vietnam’s first oil refinery Dung Quat, officially listed over 3.1 billion BSR shares on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) on Friday, marking a rare "blockbuster" debut on the major bourse in recent years.
Companies - Fri, January 17, 2025 | 6:59 pm GMT+7
Two remaining weak Vietnamese banks transferred to VPBank, HDBank
The State Bank of Vietnam, the country's central bank, on Friday announced the mandatory transfers of two "weak" private banks under its special control, GPBank and DongA Bank, to VPBank and HDBank respectively.
Banking - Fri, January 17, 2025 | 4:32 pm GMT+7
DPPA not applied to non-manufacturing consumers, Vietnam ministry insists
Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade does not plan to extend the direct power purchase agreement (DPPA) mechanism to non-manufacturing consumers using the national grid.
Energy - Fri, January 17, 2025 | 3:50 pm GMT+7
Two foreign giants eye luxury marina, resort projects in central Vietnam
Swiss investment fund Finance Suisse and the world’s leading superyacht builder Palmer Johnson are looking for opportunities to invest in a super-luxury marina and a resort in the south-central Vietnam province of Binh Dinh.
Industries - Fri, January 17, 2025 | 3:18 pm GMT+7
Int’l investment funds interested in Danang’s financial center: city leader
International investors and financial investment funds from the U.S., Singapore, the Middle East, and Switzerland are highly interested in developing a financial center in Danang, says Ho Ky Minh, the central city’s Vice Chairman.
Economy - Fri, January 17, 2025 | 12:49 pm GMT+7
Samsung’s ex-HR head Na Ki-hong to lead Samsung Vietnam from next month
Na Ki-hong, deputy CEO of Samsung Vietnam and former human resources head at Samsung Electronics, will succeed Choi Joo Ho as CEO of Samsung Vietnam from February.
Companies - Fri, January 17, 2025 | 12:41 pm GMT+7
Vietnam, Poland agree to consider elevating relations to strategic partnership
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk have agreed that the two sides should consider upgrading relations to a strategic partnership soon, on the basis of high political trust and positive results of the 75-year traditional friendship.
Politics - Fri, January 17, 2025 | 10:59 am GMT+7
Japan’s Erex to operate wood pellet plant in northern Vietnam next month
Japan's renewable energy firm Erex is conducting trial production at its wood pellet plant in Vietnam’s northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang and will put it into official operation in February.
Energy - Fri, January 17, 2025 | 10:54 am GMT+7
AI can’t compete with human in curiosity, creativity, emotional intelligence: FPT exec
AI lacks curiosity, creativity, and emotional intelligence - the qualities that humans must prioritize to maintain their competitive edge, says Hoang Nam Tien, former chairman of FPT Software and FPT Telecom under Vietnam's leading tech corporation FPT.
Companies - Fri, January 17, 2025 | 9:41 am GMT+7
HCMC’s Can Gio port project gets in-principle approval
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has granted in-principle approval to the Can Gio International Transshipment Port project in Ho Chi Minh City, with investment capital exceeding VND50 trillion ($1.97 billion).
Infrastructure - Fri, January 17, 2025 | 8:17 am GMT+7
Vietnam's Big 4 lender Vietcombank to issue nearly 2.8 bln shares for dividend payment
Vietcombank will expand its chartered capital from VND55,891 billion to VND83,557 billion ($3.29 billion) via an issuance of shares to pay dividends, becoming the largest bank in Vietnam by chartered capital.
Banking - Thu, January 16, 2025 | 7:58 pm GMT+7
Indonesia exports $1.5 million worth of steel to New Zealand
Indonesian Trade Minister Budi Santoso on Wednesday sent off export consignments of welded beam steel, measuring 1,200 metric tons and valued at $1.5 million, to New Zealand, reported national news agency Antara.
Southeast Asia - Thu, January 16, 2025 | 7:17 pm GMT+7
Vietnam to build Ninh Thuan nuclear power plant within 5 years
Vietnam strives to complete building its Ninh Thuan nuclear power plant in five years (by 2030), towards the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (1930-2030).
Energy - Thu, January 16, 2025 | 5:06 pm GMT+7
Malaysia, UK discuss elevating relations to strategic partnership
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his UK counterpart Keir Starmer discussed the elevation of bilateral relations to a strategic partnership during their talk in London on Wednesday.
Southeast Asia - Thu, January 16, 2025 | 3:30 pm GMT+7
Thailand’s Central Retail opens $11 mln GO! hypermarket in central Vietnam
Thailand’s leading retailer Central Retail opened a hypermarket per its GO! model in Vietnam’s south-central province of Ninh Thuan on Wednesday.
Industries - Thu, January 16, 2025 | 3:29 pm GMT+7
